Santa Ana to celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day with inaugural community volunteer event on 4/20

The City of Santa Ana’s Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Agency and Public Works Agency are hosting the first city-wide volunteer event celebrating Earth Day and Arbor Day on Saturday, April 20, 2024.

Me Encanta Santa Ana, which means “I love Santa Ana” in Spanish, will give residents an opportunity to help beautify Santa Ana while taking pride and ownership of the City’s robust park system. Parks play a vital role in the community’s well-being.

Volunteers will check in at Jerome Park, 2115 W. McFadden Ave., before going to their assigned projects at several locations around the city. The event will end with a concert and resource fair back at Jerome Park.

The schedule of events includes:

• Check-in at Jerome Park: 7:30 to 9 a.m.
• Volunteer work at designated project sites: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Community Concert and resource fair at Jerome Park: 1-3 p.m.

The volunteer projects include:

• Park clean-ups
• Community garden maintenance
• Painting
• Landscaping
• Facility maintenance
• and more!

Starting Tuesday, March 12, volunteers will have the opportunity to register online and select their preferred projects that vary in level of difficulty and location at www.santa-ana.org/me-encanta/. All volunteers must pre-register for a project site and complete a waiver to participate. Volunteers must be 8 years or older, and those between the ages of 8-12 are required to be accompanied by a registered adult volunteer 18 years or older.

As a special thank you, registered participants will receive the first ever Me Encanta Santa Ana community shirt and a thank you meal. This first-year shirt embodies the event’s slogan “Volunteering is a work of heart” through a heart design outlined by Santa Ana’s 49 parks. Parking is limited at many project sites and volunteers will be strongly encouraged to use the provided shuttles departing from Jerome Park. 

After a day of service, volunteers and community members will be treated with a community concert and resource fair at Jerome Park. The resource fair will focus on raising awareness of environmental responsibility and offer activities themed around wellness. The end-of-the-day celebration will also include music, games, food, and exhibitor booths. 

In addition to these exciting elements, guests can look forward to special participation from our Title Level Partner, the Anaheim Ducks, who will be on site with exciting activities and prizes for all their Santa Ana fans!

Me Encanta Santa Ana is family-friendly and open to all. Limited on-site event parking is available at no cost. Guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs, blankets, and picnics to the wrap-up concert. More information about the event is available here.