Volunteerism is Strong in La Jolla

by Councilman Scott Peters
October 2005

"It is one of the beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely help another without helping himself."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

La Jolla is a vibrant community with a population that has diverse skills and talents. As a resident over the last fifteen years, I have had the good fortune to encounter many citizens who work tirelessly to improve their community here in La Jolla and in other parts of the country and the world. In the past five years as your councilmember, I have been even more involved with some of these groups and I want to pass on some recent news and recognition.

Walt Hall, the godfather of La Jolla's Park and Recreation facilities for the past decade, recently moved to Oregon to be closer to his family. However, his presence will be felt here for a long time. Every time a child plays on a swing set at the Recreation Center or runs across a turfed soccer field, Walt will be remembered. In lean budget times, his contributions have meant a lot.

Walt has moved and we will miss him, but many other La Jollans are volunteering their heart and soul to organizations throughout the community and beyond. Take the La Jolla Rough Water Swim. Founded in 1916, the event has over 2000 participants ranging in age from 5 to 85 swim in the event. Each year, the Rough Water swim contributes thousands of dollars to charity, despite the budget stresses of recent years, and increased insurance costs.

Volunteers have also been hard at work improving the parks in La Jolla. There are several examples but I will focus on two. Little Street pocket park was originally envisioned by members of the La Jolla Rotary to add a scenic overlook along Torrey Pines Road. The project has now been incorporated into the Torrey Pines Road beautification project chaired by Robert Thiele, which is currently making its way through the community process. Another exciting project on the horizon is the Scripps Park Master Plan. A community workshop organized by Patrick Ahern and the Scripps Park Committee will take place in November to get residents input about the area.

Another beautiful thing about beaches and parks are the commemorative benches placed along the coast. Here you can sit and take in the scenery and maybe even catch a green flash at sunset. Esther Viti, the La Jolla Parks and Beaches Subcommittee and Promote La Jolla volunteer their time and effort on coordinating this program in conjunction with the City's Park and Recreation, to beautify public land while at the same time letting someone commemorate those they love. Without vigilant oversight, these benches would not survive from season to season.

The most recent example of a community member taking initiative to improve the quality of their neighborhood is the creation of the First Annual Bird Rock Home Tour by Jeanine Naviaux. She is organizing a tour of five different architecturally styled homes to raise funds for the gate entrance to Bird Rock Park behind Bird Rock Elementary. The event will take place on January 7, 2006 and I encourage you to attend.

As the summer winds down and you find yourself with more free time in the fall, please look around and see how you can contribute to the beautiful town we live in. Whether it is checking on an elderly neighbor, joining a community organization or donating to a local charitable organization, every little bit counts.