Sunnyhills Neighborhood Association

Accomplishments of the Sunnyhills Neighborhood Association (SNA)

Awards and Recognitions

10/12/2002. Awarded the "Elizabeth Anago BRICC AWARD" (Building resourceful, inspirational, creative community) by the United Neighborhoods of Santa Clara County and the Community Foundation for being an outstanding neigborhood organization within Santa Clara County.

10/12/2002. Our youth group won the YIP award from the United Neighborhoods of Santa Clara County and the Community Foundation for being an outstanding neigborhood youth organization within Santa Clara County.

11/22/01 Commendation by the City of Milpitas for our youth group getting the Neighborhood Beautification Awards "Most Involved Citizenry"

11/22/01 Commendation by the City of Milpitas as winner of the Neighborhood Beautification Awards "Building a Sense of Community"

11/21/00 Commendation by the City of Milpitas as winner of Neighborhood Beautification awards "Most Involved Citizenry"

11/21/00 Commendation by the City of Milpitas for honorable mention at the Neighborhood Beautification awards for "Building a Sense of Community."

05/11/200 Commendation by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors for the Sunnyhills Neighborhood Association's contribution to the success of the "Restorative Justice Project."

11/16/1999 Awarded a proclamation by the City of Milpitas for the Sunnyhills Neighborhood Association's achievement in promoting community unity.

10/14/1999. Awarded the "BRICC AWARD" (Building resourceful, inspirational, creative community) by the United Neighborhoods of Santa Clara County and the Community Foundation for being an outstanding neigborhood organization within the county of Santa Clara county.

What we've done!

2/10/02 Rallied 40 volunteers for large graffiti cleanup.

9/8/01 Worked with Our City Forest on a tree planting program and during the first Satuday planted over 60 trees followed by another 60 trees over several other weekends.


Secured funding from the city of Militas of $1.5 million to remodel and re-landscape Augustine Park with new sod, walkways, BBQ pits and playground equipment and new rubber playground matting to replace sand box.

Worked with the City's Recreation Department to bring the annual "Milpitas Summer Concert Series" to Augustine Park in the summer of 1999.

Secured funding from the Milpitas Recreation Department to sponsor "Sunnyhills Music in the Park", a program that teaches neighborhood kids and their families simple musical instruments.

From 1/1/95 to 1/1/02: Sponsor and coordinate many successful neighbrohood events to promote civic pride and to bring a sense of community to the Sunnyhills Neighborhood. These include the community festival "Sunnyhills Bike/Roller Fest," "Sunnyhills Music in the Park," Sunnyhills Community Breakfast," "Sunnyhills International Potluck Night," "Sunnyhills Astronomy Nights," as well as "Make Sunnyhills Shine days." Most of the above are annual events and have been running for the last four years.

We have also have worked with local developers CMB to change a vacant lot with derelict gas station into a new retail center anchored by a new Walgreen Drug Store.

We lobbied and worked with the city to improve vacant lots along the Hetch-Hetchy right-of-way into a new linear park with bike trail. The park is now named after one of the founding members of our organization and past president -- Robert Pecot Park.

We have worked with the Milpitas Alliance for the Arts to bring a new art sculpture to our local park. The sculpture slected will be a item proposed by Artist Dan Synder and will be a sundial that also functions as a park bench. It is to be installed in Augustine park this summer along with the other renovations.

We have worked with the Restorative Justice Project to recruit volunteers and to make sure the program is a success in Milpitas. Many of our members serve on restrotative justice boards which offer an alternative to the criminal justice system for youth involved in minor offenses.

We also work with our local elementary schools to provide volunteers for cleanup days, special projects and we fundraising efforts.

We publish a monthly newsletter that is hand-delivered by volunteers to over 1600 homes in our neighborhood.

We sponsor speakers to address important issues of the neighborhood both at our general meetings and at the montly community breakfast.

Generated from a community breakfast event with then city manager Greg Larson, we promoted and help developed a neighborhood beautification ordinance to help fix up blighted homes in our community.

In March 2001 the Sunnyhills Youth Association started and (as of 8/8/01)now has over 35 members.

Over the years

We have brought many Sunnyhills residents of all backgrounds together to work in our community-building events. This has increased community pride, hightened the awareness and sense of belonging to the Sunnyhills community and has opened lines of communication between neighbors of many different and diverse backgrounds.

Email us
neil@ix.netcom.com