A community beautification project with roots in Arroyo Grande found so much success since its 2018 creation that the goodwill is extending to Nipomo.
Called “We Heart Nipomo“—an offshoot of “We Heart AG”—the volunteer event aims to clean up and maintain a section of the South County town. Organizer Kendra Paulding, who took over the managing reins for “We Heart AG” this April from founder and Arroyo Grande City Councilmember Kristen Barneich, told New Times that the focus will be on Nipomo Community Park.
“There’s a lot to do, and it’s a huge park,” Paulding said. “We trying to make this an annual volunteer event.”
The seeds for We Heart Nipomo were sown at the grand opening of the Nipomo Skate Park in May. Paulding met with San Luis Obispo County Parks and Recreation Ranger Matt Mohle and suggested a volunteer project similar to We Heart AG.
“He said, ‘Absolutely! There’s so much that needs to be done,'” Paulding said with a laugh. “We defined the projects and then we started reaching out to volunteers.”
Interested participants can register at the We Heart Nipomo online signup page. Project managers and volunteers will gather at the community park’s gazebo on Nov. 12 at 9 a.m. before dispersing in teams to carry out the eight tasks. They include maintaining the Cesar Chavez Native Garden, mulching, cleaning the Nipomo Dog Park, restoring picnic tables, and landscaping at Little Bits Preschool.
Each of these activities will be carried out by a group of 10 to 15 people led by a project manager. Most projects will run from 9 a.m. until noon, with the preschool landscaping happening from noon until 3 p.m. Email weheartnipomo@gmail.com for more information.
“About 40 people have signed up so far,” Paulding told New Times on Oct. 24. “We’re aiming for 100.”
More than 100 people showed up for the We Heart AG event, and Paulding hopes for repeat popularity. While Do Good Grants sponsored the Arroyo Grande event, the Nipomo version is more of a collaboration with the county Parks and Rec department. While Parks and Rec donates materials for the tasks, community members are donating time and labor.
“The mulch, paint, stains are all being donated by County Parks, but this is something they’d be doing anyway,” Paulding said. “There’s zero dollars going into this.”
She added that she learned some lessons through the Arroyo Grande improvement projects that she’s eager to feature in Nipomo.
“I did a little planting at Rancho Grande and learned about the plants and things there,” she said. “I’m taking what I learned from the Rancho Grande park and applying it to the landscaping project outside of the library [at the Nipomo Community Park].”
Paulding is already thinking ahead for other parts of South County. She’s in talks with different groups in Oceano to create a similar “We Heart Oceano” event. They’re currently trying to finalize a date. It’s all part of her wish to get everyone outside and enjoy parks together.
“A very wise woman told me once that volunteers live longer, and that’s enough motivation for me,” Paulding said with a laugh. “In all seriousness, there are a whole lot of things that need to be done to keep our parks looking nice.” Δ
Fast facts
• The theosophical society, the Temple of the People, will host a special lecture tour of an oil painting exhibition called Hiawatha: The Legend of the Peacemaker on Nov. 18. The tours are part of the 125th anniversary celebration of the society’s founding in Syracuse, New York. Retired Allan Hancock College gallery director Marti Fast will lead two tours at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. in the University Center Art Gallery on 3171 Temple St., Halcyon.
• Downtown SLO clothing store Ambiance Boutique combined fashion with philanthropy through a donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of SLO County. Over the weekend of Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, the store raised $5,000 for the nonprofit. It’s a percentage of sales kept aside as donations, bringing Ambiance Boutique’s lifetime donation total to $16,000. Δ
Reach Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal at brajagopal@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Nov 2-12, 2023.