NORTH VALLEYHEART RIVERWALK PROJECT

It’s official!

The North Valleyheart Riverwalk (Greenway) project is now a Los Angeles County project!

Not only has the county committed 50% of the budgeted funds to implement the project, The Village Gardeners’ proposal for a beautiful, accessible walkway along the Los Angeles River is their entry for a Proposition 84 grant. Prop 84 funding was approved by the voters in 2006. Our project has been moved to the head of the line of LA County’s, LA River projects!

See North Valleyheart Riverwalk project plans here.

City Supplies New Trash Cans for Village Gardeners' Valleyheart Riverwalk Greenway

The City of Los Angeles, through its Adopt-A-Basket program, has supplied new trash cans for the Valleyheart Riverwalk Greenway. To further the improvement, The Village Gardeners recently purchased  and installed self-closing lids, which was made possible through the support and generosity of the community.

Currently, The Village Gardeners services 11-trash cans along the Los Angeles River on a weekly basis.

LA RIVER RESTORATION, SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

Many thank to students from Crespi Carmelite High School for helping the Village Gardeners maintain the native plant garden at the Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom in Studio City. They removed invasive, non-native plants species, mulched to restore the soil, cleared the catch basins along the river and more. They did an excellent job and their hard work paid off with awesome results!

LA RIVER RESTORATION, AUGUST 20, 2011

Many thanks to student volunteers from USC and members of the community for their hard work at the native plant garden at the Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom in Studio City. They did an exellent job of removing invasive non-native plant species, mulching to restore the soil, cleared the catch basins along the river and more.

L.A. RIVER RESTORATION - NORTH VALLEYHEART RIVERWALK GREENWAY

Once again, our hard work has paid off with awesome results!!! Special thanks to the volunteers of the non-profit organizations Corregidores Lions Club, Philanthro, L.A. Conservation Corps', River Corps crew, staff and volunteers from TreePeople, the Village Gardeners and other members of the community, for their hard work and support. Many thanks to the City of Los Angeles', Office of Community Beautification for supplying the tools for this and many other events!

As a result of this awesome display of community participation, we were able to perform substantial maintenance along a 1/2 mile stretch of the L.A. River in Studio City and Sherman Oaks, CA.

Next event: Saturday, August 20. Please see website for details.

Many thanks from the Village Gardeners!

People, Pets & Native Plants Project

A project of The Village Gardeners made possible through the generosity of the community. Volunteers from Sony Pictures Entertainment, Southern California Edison and the Village Gardeners come together to re-plant a section of the Los Angeles River that was devastated by Oleander Leaf Scorch disease. Special thanks to The Charitable Foundation, Rotary Club of Studio City & Sherman Oaks, Safeco Insurance Foundation, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Wells Fargo Bank and others from the community for their generous donations, and to all the volunteers for their hard work!

DAY OF SERVICE ON THE L.A. RIVER EVENT, APRIL 30, 2011

The Village Gardeners observe Mayor Villaraigosa's and the City of Los Angeles', Day of Serice on the Los Angeles River Event with an L.A. River restoration event in their adopted 1/2 mile section of the L.A. River in Studio City and Sherman Oaks, CA. During The Village Gardeners' event, volunteers from the community swept the streets along the river, cleared the catch basin covers, provided tree care maintenance to native trees, removed invasive, non-native plant species and mulched around the native plants to restore the soil and to retain moisture over the long summer ahead. Special thanks to Mayor Villaraigosa and the City of Los Angeles for the funding for supplies and materials for the event and to the volunteers for their hard work!

L.A. RIVER RESTORATION - RICHARD LILLARD OUTDOOR CLASSROOM, April 10, 2011

The Village Gardeners' 3rd annual, L.A. River restoration event at the Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom in Studio City, CA. Volunteers from the community remove invasive, non-native plant species and mulch the grounds of the native plant garden to restore the soil.

Special thanks to the Buckley School's, S.O.S Go Green Club, for their continued support of our efforts, which have paid off with awesome results!

NATIVE PLANT GARDEN AT THE RICHARD LILLARD OUTDOOR CLASSROOM

Recent photos from the native plant garden at the Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom in Studio City. This is in the Village Gardeners' adopted stretch of the L.A. River. Our hard work has paid off well! Thanks to all the volunteers for their participation and to the community for it's support!

VALLEYHEART RIVERWALK GREENWAY UPDATE

L.A. County's Dept of Public Works does river survey needed to start the planning and engineering of the Valleyheart Riverwalk Greenway project in the Village Gardeners' adopted section of the L.A. River.
Go L.A. County! We love you guys!

L.A. RIVER CATCH BASIN CLEAN-UP

The Village Gardeners helps the City of Los Angeles by cleaning clogged catch basins along the L.A. River, in their adopted section of the river between Coldwater Cyn Ave and Fulton Ave.

Valleyheart Drive Clean-Up Continues!

Village Gardeners continues clean-up along Valleyheart Drive on the south side of the LA River, from Coldwater Cyn Ave to Fulton Ave.

Corona Tools Gives Generously

Corona Tools donates a generous selection of garden tools to The Village Gardeners to help with L.A. River greenway maintenance. The tools included loppers, hand pruners, extension pole pruners, pruning saws and more. Many thanks from the Village Gardeners for their generous gift of much needed tools!

Citizen of the Year Award

Pictured from left to right, front row: Past President Linda Mangahas, Pres. Ellie Suarez, Delia & Rick Rabins, Central Region Chair Eleanor Evangelista of the LA Golden Eagle Lions Club and Pres. Edith Javier of the LA New Millenium LC. Left to right, back row: Zone Chair Guido Suarez, Lion Zeny Dominguez of the LA Golden Eagle LC, Delfin Poquiz, Lion Beebop Poquiz, Ludy Salvio, Rudy Salvio, Lion Jojo Barrientos and Lion Willy SantaMaria of the LA New Millenium LC. Also present but not shown in the picture were: Max Dominguez of the LA Golden Eagle LC, Lion Ven Javier of the LA New Millenium LC and Leo David Barrientos.

Village Gardeners' President, Rick Rabins, receives Citizen of the Year award from Corregidor Lions Club of Los Angeles.

On September 26, 2010, I was honored by the Corregidor Lions Club for outstanding and dedicated civic and environmental service to the community of Los Angeles. What an honor it is to have received this prestigious award.

Several club members have volunteered at various Village Gardeners events. Many thanks to club members and officers for this award and for all their dedicated service to the community.

Tool Shed Painting Event at the Outdoor Classroom, August 13, 2010

The Village Gardeners' tool shed, at the Outdoor Classroom in Studio City, gets a make-over from volunteers from the community!

July 15, 2010 Event, Earth Day 2008 Event Site

This L.A. River greenway maintenance event, a collaboration of TreePeople and The Village Gardeners, was a hugh success due to the participation and hard work of L.A. Conservation Corps', L.A. River Keepers, staff and volunteers of TreePeople and The Village Gardeners. During the event, native shrubs were carefully hand pruned and mulched. Many thanks to all for their participation and support! Also, special thanks to L.A. County, Dept of Public Works and L.A. County Supervisor, Zev Yaroslavsky, for making the Earth Day 2008 Event Site a reality.

Oleander Pruning Summer 2010

As a community service, the all-volunteer, Village Gardeners, pruned all the shrubs and trees along the L.A. River on Valleyheart Drive. This work was done on the north and south sides of the river between Coldwater Cyn Ave and Fulton Ave, in Studio City and Sherman Oaks.

Wells Fargo Bank, Grand Opening Ceremony

Wells Fargo Bank gives generously to the community! At the grand opening ceremony of their New Studio City Branch, bank officials and staff presented grant checks to 6-area non-profit organizations. Thanks to Wells Fargo's generosity, The Village Gardeners is one step closer to implementing their "Steps To The Riverwalk" project. Once implemented, this will be the only improved pedestrian accessway, on the north side of the L.A. River, for miles in either direction. Wells Fargo Bank, WE LOVE YOU! MANY THANKS!

L.A. River Restoration - Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom

The Village Gardeners' partner organizations, S.O.S GoGreen Club, Studio City/Sherman Oaks Rotary Club, and Harvard Club of Southern California get a jump start on Earth Day at the Outdoor Classroom. Volunteers mulched the recently planted native trees, planted more native plants and removed invasive, non-native plant species. This native plant garden is looking so good! Thanks to all for their hard work!

Fall Planting Event - Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom

With the support of the community, the generosity of our contributors and the participation of over 300 enthusiastic volunteers, over the past 12 months we were able to plant approximately 475 native plants along the Los Angeles River. Previously, this site was overgrown with invasive, non-native plant species that were choking out the few remaining native plants that were planted there years ago. Through careful planning, preparation and a great deal of hard work, our combined efforts have ultimately paid off with awesome results! Special thanks to our partners of the Fall Planting Event, The Buckley School, L.A. Valley College Child Development Club, L.A. Corregidor Lions Club and L.A. Conservation Corps. The L.A. Conservation Corps contributed 19 native trees for this event and the Studio City Neighborhood Council contributed the funds for the preparation work and for the native plants planted at this Fall Planting Event and at previous events as well. Please go to our website for a complete list of our partners and contributors
http://www.thevillagegardeners.org/support.html

California Coastal Clean-Up Day - Sept 19, 2009

Millikan Middle School and The Village Gardeners co-host a community clean-up event sponsored by Heal The Bay. Students of Millikan Middle School tidy up their Sherman Oaks campus as well as surrounding streets, while The Village Gardeners lead a team along the L.A. River in their adopted section between Fulton Ave and Coldwater Cyn Ave. Volunteers collected approximately 315 lbs of litter during the event. The event was organized by the Millikan Middle School PTA and school staff. Many thanks to all for their support and participation!

Fencing Upgrade For Valleyheart Riverwalk Greenway

L.A. County's Dept of Public Works begins long awaited fencing upgrade along the L.A. River in Studio City. Once completed, it will enable the county to open this section of the L.A. River greenway to the community. This section was previously adopted by The Village Gardeners in 1998 through the county's Adopt-A-Riverbank program.

Go L.A. County! We love you guys!

Earth Day 2008 Event Site Clean-up

An all-volunteer group helps the Village Gardeners maintain the Valleyhear Riverwalk Greenway, in Studio City. Special thanks to Paramount Studios staff for their participation and support. Their participation and support really made a difference!
Thanks again to all from the Village Gardeners for doing such an awesome job!

The Village Gardeners Adopts More Trash Cans For L.A. River!

Credit for servicing the trash cans along the L.A. River, between Coldwater Canyon Ave and Fulton Ave, goes to Peter Regli, Haig Mkhoian & Rick Rabins. Haig is the founder and president of the non-profit organization, Haig It Up, a Village Gardeners partner organization. Also, special thanks goes to the Mountains, Recreation & Conservation Authority's maintenance staff for servicing the 3-cans near the Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom.

Meet The Village Gardeners Board of Directors & Officers

Serving the community with pride!
(from left to right)
Bill McGeorge, Ingrid Dragan (Secretary and board member), Rick Rabins (President and board member), Fiona Chatfield, Michael Dragan, Tina Curran (Treasurer and board member).

The Village Gardeners Adopts 2-More Trashcans For The L.A. River!

The Village Gardeners' member volunteers have been servicing several trashcans along the river for many years through the city's Adopt-A-Basket program. This community service helps fill a void due to inadequate municipal trash service along the river.

Big Sunday 2009 - L.A. River Restoration

Another successful planting event hosted by The Village Gardeners was attended by approximately 50, enthusiastic students and parents of Campbell Hall School, and other neighborhood schools. As a community service, the all-volunteer group planted close to 100 native plants at the Native Plant Garden at the Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom, in Studio City. Many thanks to all for their hard work and support! This L.A. River, native plant garden restoration, is ongoing. For more info please log on to http://www.TheVillageGardeners.org/eventsandprojects.html . Thank you.

Earth Day Weekend 2009 - L.A. River Restoration

Prayers answered for The Village Gardeners when over 150 volunteers show support by planting 300 native plants at the Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom in Studio City, CA. During his Earth Day presentation, Village Gardeners' President, Rick Rabins, expressed appreciation to volunteers, contributors and sponsors, whom without their support, the project could not have been implemented. For the complete list please go to http://www.thevillagegardeners.org/support.html. Thank you.

Earth Day Weekend, April 17-19

Help the Village Gardeners restore natural habitat along the Los Angeles River, at the Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom, in Studio City. Project includes removal of invasive non-native plant species to allow natives to flourish, mulching to restore the soils and keep trees and shrubs healthy, planting natives and more. Our goal is to create a model California native plant garden in 2009. Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Snacks and refreshments will be served. Your participation will make a difference! (Please dress appropriately! No open toe shoes, use sunscreen and wear a hat).

Directions: www.lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=48
RSVP: info@thevillagegardeners.org

Letter of Support Studio City Neighborhood Council

Letter of Support Studio City Beautification Association

Letter of support from Wendy Greuel, L.A. Councilmember, 2nd district--#2

Letter of support from Wendy Greuel, L.A. Councilmember, 2nd district

Letter of Support from Friends of the LA River

Letter of Support from LA County #2

Letter of Support from LA County

Jacob Castroll of Jacob Castroll Insurance presents Rick Rabins, President of The Village Gardeners, with grant check.

Safeco Insurance Foundation gives generously in support of the Valleyheart Riverwalk Greenway, in Studio City and Sherman Oaks. Funds to be used to purchase trash cans, sanitary dog-waste bag dispensers, plants and more for L.A. River between Coldwater Cyn Ave and Fulton Ave. Special thanks to Jacob Castroll of Jacob Castroll Insurance for nominating The Village Gardeners through Safeco’s Agent Giving Program. www.TheVillageGardeners.org for more info.

2008 PROGRESS REPORT

Dear Village Gardeners Supporters,

I hope you all had a great holiday season!

I want to express my appreciation for your support over the past year. We have made a great deal of progress, which I'd like to briefly explain.

We have recently received a Letter of Support from L.A. County for our Valleyheart Riverwalk Greenway. Unfortunately, we were unable to compete in the city's Community Beautification Grant program with our "Steps to the Riverwalk" project. However, the county is so supportive they have decided to move ahead starting with a "Concept Report", the first step in the planning of a new LA River greenway, to improve the entire 1/2 mile stretch from Coldwater Cyn Ave to Fulton Ave (north side of river). I have been told that the draft Concept Report should be ready soon.

We have recently received a generous $5,000 Grant from Safeco Insurance Foundation, and a generous $2,500 contribution from Councilmember Jack Weiss of Council District - 5, with special thanks to his field deputy Joan Pelico. Also, there have been several contributions of up to $1,000 each. We can use these funds to purchase new trash cans with self closing lids, Sanitary Dog Waste Bag Dispensers, plants and more, in 2009!

We are planning to develop the irrigated area around the Outdoor Classroom into a model California Native Plant Garden, in 2009. We will accomplish this with the help of volunteers from the community, including neighborhood schools. With the anticipated continued support we received in 2008, I predict 2009 will be another very productive year for us.

Wishing you all the best in the New Year!

Sincerely,

Rick Rabins
President,
The Village Gardeners of the Los Angeles River

Previous Events

Oct. 19, 2008, Sunday - The Village Gardeners and FOLAR partnered River Walk Event. Join us for a 1 mile walk to learn what the Village Gardeners is doing to beautify our adopted stretch of the L.A. River in Studio City & Sherman Oaks. Meet at 12953 Valleyheart Dr, Studio City, 91604, just west of Coldwater Cyn Ave (north side of river). 4:30 - 6:00 P.M.

October 26, 2008, Sunday - "Make a Difference Day"
Studio City - Sherman Oaks Rotary, Studio City Beautification, and The Village Gardeners are sponsoring a volunteer, L.A. River Beautification Event from 9:00 A.M. - Noon at the Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom in Studio City. Help us restore natural habitat along the river. Join us for fun, light slope restoration, planting, mulching and refreshments at the Outdoor Classroom on Valleyheart Dr. south at Longridge Ave.Please RSVP by Oct 24: mail to:info@thevillagegardeners.org

The Village Gardeners will donate $5 to PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) for each volunteer that participates in this event.


4th Sunday of the month - SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR UPDATES. THANK YOU!!!

Help The Village Gardeners restore natural habitat along the L.A. River, in Studio City, at the Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom. Join us for fun with light restoration, planting & mulching. Public welcome. 10 A.M. - Noon. Location: Valleyheart Dr. at Longridge Ave. (south side of river). For directions go to: www.lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=48
RSVP: info@thevillagegardeners.org

Letter of Support from the Cub Scouts (2008)