October 7, 2005

Celebrating diversity

Council District 8 ‘Day in the Park’ a success

By Jeffrey Lo
Times Intern

You couldn’t hear local Evergreen kids moaning “Are we there yet?” on Oct. 1, since the destination was in their own back yard.

They joined thousands of people attending the eighth annual “Day in the Park” event held
at Lake Cunningham Park, sponsored by District 8 Council-member Dave Cortese and East Side Heroes.

Mainstays of the local event, such as the free pumpkin patch, San Jose Firefighter barbecue and face painting, returned to entertain participants while public servant presentations, courtesy of the San Jose Police and Fire departments and emergency medical technicians, informed local residents.

Children rushed to be carried and hugged by some of San Jose’s bravest citizens of San Jose. Fireman Henry Brunson stood in front of the popular San Jose Sharks fire truck to greet the excited children. “At the Fire Department, we allow people to see that there are firemen of all nationalities here to help San Jose,” said Brunson.

“Day in the Park” also celebrated the cultural diversity shared in Council District 8 through multicultural food, arts and crafts and performances. “The most popular entertainment group was the Folklorico National Mexicano; they captivated the audience for well over 45 minutes,” said Graham Grossman from the District 8 office.

Many local service groups of San Jose set up alongside the multicultural events and booths.

High school students from the San Jose Central County Occupational Center (CCOC) program, for example, set up their own cultural displays. For $10, visitors could take a picture in a gondola behind a display of Venice, Italy. All of the proceeds went directly toward hurricane relief.

“This is a great event for families and children to come out and play,” said Evergreen Valley High School senior Valerie Miles.

New additions
One of the many crowded booths included the National Marrow Donor Program’s (NMDP) bone marrow donor registration table, new to “Day in the Park.” “This event is great because it gives people of all nationalities a chance to see the businesses who help out our community,” said Brunson.

For the children, the new “South Bay Fishing in the City” event provided a popular addition to the annual pumpkin patch and clown shows. Youth tried their hand at fishing in Lake Cunningham. More than 75 kids left the day’s festivities with the bragging rights of having caught a fish.

East Side Heroes receive $5,000
For the first time the East Side Heroes helped Cortese with his fifth “Day In The Park.” East Side Heroes is a nonprofit corporation that is committed to helping youth in the Bay Area succeed in life and become the leaders of tomorrow.

The ongoing programs the East Side Heroes have started include their mentoring training programs, group mentoring outings, their “Feed-an-early-bird” bag lunch program and their annual fund-raiser dinner.

Councilmember Cortese has supported East Side Heroes from the start. “Dave Cortese helped organize the First Annual East Side Heroes scholarship fund-raiser dinner,” said Grossman. The first East Side Heroes scholarship winner was Notre Dame High School sophomore gymnast Karen Ortiz.

East Side Heroes raised more than $5,000 at Day in the Park for their mentorship and scholarship programs. Future programs East Side Heroes hopes to implement include an East Side Heroes Magazine, a college preparation program and a family reconnection service to help families resolve their problems though more effective communication skills.
Councilmember Cortese and East Side Heroes put on a successful event for a just cause, said Grossman.

“Every year we build on the successes of the last year’s event—which year in and year out makes us proud to hold the largest and most successful city council sponsored event,” he said.