The event “Growing Spring Valley Together” was held on September 21^st from 5:30-7:30pm at the San Diego Youth Services campus in Spring Valley. The event included dinner from a local caterer, remarks from Chairwoman Nora Vargas, and presentations from all five community partners on their role in the planning grant. PDS hosted an informational table with staff from Sustainability Planning, Long Range Planning, and Code Compliance. Other County departments who also hosted tables at the event included the Libraries, Department of Parks and Recreation, Agriculture/ Weights and Measures, Health and Human Services Agency, and the Department of Public Works.Attendees were invited to visit all the informational tables as well as contribute to a youth-led art project to capture their sustainability-related vision for Spring Valley. 

The excitement and pride from the community were palpable throughout the evening, and it was apparent that everyone is eager to being the planning work. To continue that excitement, the event organizers (the Office of Sustainability and Environmental Justice) requested that attendees help spread the word about the grant and get involved. We’re asking readers of this newsletter to do the same! To stay engaged on what is happening with the grant, you can sign up for the SEEDS newsletter here.