Capitola-Aptos Rotary Club hosted their inaugural “Sunday Funday: Pickleball in the Park” event on May 22 in Aptos — which led to a $1,000 donation for the Sgt. Gutzwiller Memorial at Willowbrook Park.
Laura Grinder and Kendra Cleary, co-presidents of the club, and Rotarian Dr. Arthur Dover presented the check on Sept. 19 to County Park Friends, the nonprofit coordinating the donations.
From left: Laura Grinder (co-president), Dr. Art Dover (service project chair) & Kendra Cleary (co-president) of Capitola-Aptos Rotary Club with Jeff Gaffney (parks director), Kim Namba (administrative services manager) and Michael Hettenhausen (park planner) of the County Parks Department. • Photo Credit: Rotarian Mardelí M. Padilla Chávarry
Twenty pickleball players from novice to intermediate gathered at the newly renovated and resurfaced courts at Willowbrook Park to raise money for Capitola-Aptos Rotary’s two main programs: Local scholarships and community grants. The community grant funds raised from this event went straight to County Park Friends.
Capitola-Aptos Rotary Club had donated $50,000 for the Willowbrook Park renovation in March 2022, and this latest gift is part of the ongoing efforts to support areas in Santa Cruz County for children of all abilities to play safely.
“I think the best part about our Sunday Funday was there were a few local community members who were just strolling by on their morning walk, and they recognized us from our previous efforts when we raised $140,000 to build LEO’s Haven back in 2017, so they came over and just made a donation to help with our efforts that day!” said club co-president Kendra Cleary.
“Thanks to the ongoing support by the Capitola-Aptos Rotary Club and other community organizations we are only $95,000 away from reaching the Memorial funding goal!” said Mariah Roberts, executive director of County Park Friends.
“I hope community members and other local nonprofits see our gifts made in honor of creating a memorial space for the community to gather, and they are inspired to make a donation of their own!” says club co-president Laura Grinder.
Capitola-Aptos Rotary considered their inaugural pickleball tournament a huge success, both that the pickleball players had a great time and that the club was able to support the Willowbrook Park renovation in memory of Sgt. Gutzwiller.
Be on the lookout for the Second Annual Pickleball in the Park event in 2023!
Capitola-Aptos Rotary Club, chartered in 1965, covers Capitola, Aptos, and Soquel.
There are 45 members with a passion for supporting the community through volunteer service and fundraising.
Members develop long-lasting friendships, share ideas to foster understanding, focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, and make a global impact.
Annual fundraisers include Pickleball in the Park tournament, the 4th of July Beer Booth as part of the World’s Shortest Parade after-party in Aptos Village Park, and an annual gala. The funds raised total hundreds of thousands to serve the community, locally and across the globe.
Capitola-Aptos Rotary was one of the first clubs to allow women to become members in 1987, and membership is now 42% pf female.
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The club invites all to attend a weekly meeting in person or via Zoom on Thursdays at noon. For info visit capitolaaptosrotary.org
Top Photo Credit: Ben Hershey • Unsplash