Looking for 500 to 1,000 volunteers on Community Service Day

This is one in an occasional Patch series on "Dispatches: The Changing American Dream," which includes innovative volunteer efforts like Walnut Creek's. 

Walnut Creek's debut Community Service Day — Saturday, Oct. 1 — is an initiative of Mayor Cindy Silva.

Silva, in an email interview with Patch, said she expects 500 to 1,000 Walnut Creek volunteers to turn out and make the city shine that day.

The bold-face entries mixed into this article are a sampling of projects for volunteers Oct. 1. Library book cleaning at elementary schools; paint and stain outdoor furniture at Bancroft Elementary; campus cleanup at Northgate High.

Silva bases her estimate on the 150 to 300 community members who turn out on a Saturday morning in May for. Since announcing the Community Service Day concept in February, more than 100 groups have stepped forward as community partners. "From these groups, we have 45 projects," Silva said, encompassing half-day project opportunities for more than 800 volunteers.

ARF fall landscaping; equestrian center beautification; storage area cleaning at Lindsay Wildlife Museum; Shell Ridge planting site preparation.

The city's online registration is open. Also you may call the Community Service Day hotline, 925-256-3505.

The goal is to recognize the value of volunteerism while motivating citizens to volunteer, the mayor said. This event is the culmination of the Year of the Volunteer.

Shelving at Ygnacio Valley Library; organize theater props and the costume closet at Center Rep.

"Celebrating volunteerism is important to me personally because I view myself not as a politician but as a community volunteer," Silva said. "In my recent past, I worked for our schools and school funding measures, I served on the boards of the Walnut Creek Soccer Club and the Walnut Creek Swim Conference Board, and actively raised funds for our local libraries, including the $5 million that the Library Foundation raised to help build the new library. 

Painting the parking area at Meals on Wheels; Emergency Preparedness Outreach for CERT.

"I truly believe that our community of volunteers make Walnut Creek the special place that it is," Silva said.

Fall prep at Bancroft Garden; staining a bridge at Heather Farm Park; riparian garden and creek restoration; winterization of garden plots at Rossmoor; work on garden and garden fence at Civic Park Community Center.

Community Service Day kicks off on Saturday, Oct. 1, with a free pancake breakfast from 7:30-8:30 a.m. at Heather Farm Park Community Center, courtesy of the Lions Clubs of Walnut Creek.