por Jay Wilson

Linda Klers

In my six years at with the Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) Foundation, I have had the good fortune of meeting a great number of outstanding people. There are always individuals who make a very positive impression on you; Linda was one of those individuals.

About five years ago, I met Linda Klers when she was chairing the Soroptimists International of San Diego’s annual “Wine in the Wilderness” event. She was looking for a new venue, and fortunately her committee selected the MTRP Visitor Center. She chaired the “Wine in the Wilderness” event for several years and we became friends.

On April 7, I attended a celebration of life for Linda. Just after her 60th birthday, she lost a heroic battle with leukemia. The celebration of life included a great photo of Linda and a couple of friends standing on the Visitor Center Terrace overlooking Mission Gorge. She was involved in a great number of community service projects throughout San Diego. Linda is someone who really made a positive difference in the world.

Concerts 

Four accomplished young harpists, representing the San Diego Harp Society, will perform in the Visitor Center theater on Sunday, April 19 at 3 p.m. On Sunday, May 3, Mary Holma, Betty Grant, and Fred Laskowski — all members of the Storytellers of San Diego — return to present stories featuring Animal Tales and Native American Folklore.

Explore Mission Trails Day

Circle May 16 on your calendar to attend our annual Explore Mission Trails Day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The theme is “Connecting with Nature.” There will be family fun activities at the Visitor Center and at the East Fortuna Staging Area.

This popular event features free, guided nature walks as well as talks and programs throughout the park. There will be live animals, interactive displays and special programs for children at both locations. The San Diego Natural History Museum and Scholastic Publishing’s Ms. Frizzle and The Magic School Bus will present a special program for children in the amphitheater at the Visitor Center. There will be free pony rides (from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), a climbing wall, crafts for children, and many discovery stations at the East Fortuna Staging Area. The San Diego Mountain Bike Association is returning with its demonstration bicycle skills park and will have bicycles for children to use.

The Kiwanis Clubs of Lake Murray and Santee will be selling food and refreshments at both the MTRP Visitor Center and East Fortuna Staging Area, respectively. Corporate sponsors to date include Republic Services, Inc., SDG&E, Superior Ready Mix, and an in-kind donation from San Diego Family Magazine. We also thank the city of San Diego for support through their Special Promotional Program Fund and the San Diego County for support through their Community Enhancement Fund.

Check our website at mtrp.org for information about all the programs: Explore Mission Trails Day, discovery tables, free guided nature walks, star parties, and camping at the Kumeyaay Lake Campground.

AmazonSmile 

Support the MTRP Foundation through AmazonSmile. Here is information from the smile.amazon.com website. AmazonSmile is an automatic way for you to support the MTRP Foundation every time you shop at Amazon, at no cost to you or us. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as at Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to the MTRP Foundation.

How do I shop at AmazonSmile? To shop at AmazonSmile, simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device.

Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations? Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. Recurring subscribe-and-save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible.

Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile? You use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, and other account settings are also the same.

How do I select a charitable organization to support when shopping on AmazonSmile? On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you will be asked to select a charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation to the MTRP Foundation.

Every day is an outstanding adventure at MTRP!

—Jay Wilson is executive director of the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation.