(Courtesy Genevieve Suzuki)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs with many nonprofits, the La Mesa Park & Recreation Foundation hosts an annual fundraiser to raise donations and attract participants. This year, the third annual \u201cLa Mesa Rocks\u201d event boasts a glitzy \u201cGreat Gatsby\u201d theme. Partygoers can support the parks and related community services by donning \u201920s-era wear and hobnobbing with their fellow La Mesa citizens May 18 from 6 to 10 p.m. at La Mesa Community Center. There\u2019ll be flappers, candy cigars, a sit-down dinner, drinks and dancing.<\/p>\n
Sounds like the usual call for funds, I know, but this is a cause that is close to my heart. As with many La Mesa residents, I am a parent, which means I am usually broke.<\/p>\n
By the time our family has coughed up money for our children\u2019s education, whether it is grade school or preschool, and paid for sports or lessons, our going-out alternatives are extremely limited. The one thing that makes my 9-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son\u2019s days, however, is the suggestion of a day at the park followed by a Baskin Robbins treat.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, the park! The park!\u201d Quinn yells, pumping her fist in the air before trying to figure out whether she wants to pack her scooter or bike.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe paaaaaark!\u201d screams Deacon, who usually runs in circles before collapsing and giving me an accusatory glare. (It\u2019s true: 2-year-olds are a lot like the puppy next door.)<\/p>\n
Yep, our family loves the park. After joining the foundation\u2019s board and the city of La Mesa\u2019s Community Services Commission, I realized we had so many more choices than just the park across the street. If you visit the city\u2019s website at cityoflamesa.us, you can print out the newest park guide.<\/p>\n
In fact, thanks to the guide, I\u2019m now my family\u2019s go-to resource for which parks offer walking paths, basketball courts, tennis courts, reservable picnic sites \u2013 where do you think Deacon\u2019s third birthday is going to be \u2013 and barbecues. The best thing about it is, for the most part, it\u2019s free. Sure, I have to pack our lunches, but that\u2019s a fraction of the price of whatever I\u2019d spend at a high-price amusement park.<\/p>\n
So even though I usually feel like Dagwood Bumstead standing there with empty pockets, once a year I\u2019m happy to dress up and attend \u201cLa Mesa Rocks\u201d for the good of our parks. Please consider joining me as we celebrate La Mesa\u2019s favorite community service.<\/p>\n
\u201cLa Mesa Rocks\u201d is May 18 from 6 to 10 p.m. at La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive. Tickets are $75 each online at lamesaparks.org. If you have questions, contact Misty Thompson at 619-667-1319 or at friends@lamesaparks.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u2014 Genevieve A. Suzuki es una abogada local que vive y trabaja en La Mesa.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By\u00a0Genevieve A. Suzuki | Gen-X in a Millennial World If there\u2019s one thing in La Mesa that deserves our community\u2019s full support, it\u2019s the La Mesa Park & Recreation Foundation, an organization first established 19 years ago to raise money for the Junior Seau Sports Complex.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":225048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11548","_seopress_titles_title":"Give back to parks that give us so much","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-225047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-la-mesa-courier"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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