The treasured educational and recreational resource, the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, celebrated its inspiring and dedicated volunteers with a virtual appreciation celebration on Saturday, January 30. With about 50 volunteers in attendance, both the Executive Director and the Founder of the Garden shared that 2020 was the Garden’s most productive year yet, even in the midst of a global pandemic the Garden continues to fulfill its mission to honor and preserve connections with nature.
From propagation to committee work to administrative support to landscape design and maintenance, the volunteers at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden have once again made a large community impact by going above and beyond to sustain the Garden and support ongoing educational programs. Between 500+ volunteers in 2020, more than 9,000 hours were logged in 2020. This is a remarkable feat! The incredible volunteers have proven that even in the toughest of times, the Garden continues to thrive in creating more spaces for people to gather, learn, and grow.
The Garden’s volunteers were honored not only with receiving an award, but for the top honorees, their service is being acknowledged in a way that future volunteers can strive for the same level of dedication. As long-time guardians of the Garden, that award was presented to and is now named the “Gaby and Ken Levine Garden Guardians Award”. Gaby and Ken Levine of Arroyo Grande have been supporters of the Garden since its inception. Another award is now named the “Jan Von Engel Award” for Outstanding Service. Jan of San Luis Obispo was presented this award for his dedicated service to the Garden for over 20 years. According to Garden Executive Director Chenda Lor, “…talk about going above and beyond and being responsible for over 200 trees planted up and around the Garden, and our wonderful Chilean Wine Palm Grove.”
Jan Von Engel 
Gaby and Ken Levine
Additional volunteer award winners include:
Kathy Stewart, Jayne Devencenzi, Sandra Adams, Madeline Fay, and Sheri McCarthy – Team Commitment
Ben Trogdon and David Feldkeller – Pinch Hitters
Torrey Byles and Jon Kramer – Rookies of the Year
Gene Levoff – Special Project
Larry Tolson – Volunteer Commitment
Bruce Bonifas – Eco Ambassador
Karen Darger – Adaptable Contributor
Tamara Blett and Eve Vigil – Most Logged Volunteer Hours
Steve Brown, San Luis Obispo – Outstanding Service
Ping Tsao, San Luis Obispo – Lifetime Achievement
Steve Brown 
Ping Tsao
Special thanks to all of our business sponsors, including gift donations from Brown Butter Cookie Co. and Splash Cafe, and all of our donors who help make the Garden such a treasured community resource.
You can help support the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden’s growth by making a charitable donation at slobg.org. Curious to learn more about volunteer opportunities at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden? Contact Volunteer Coordinator, Anne Stevens, at anne@slobg.org today!
About San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden
The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden is a non-profit organization that showcases plants from Mediterranean climates throughout the world. Through its programs and facilities, the Garden fosters an appreciation and understanding of the relationship between people and nature and encourages a sense of stewardship for the natural environment. The Garden is located at 3450 Dairy Creek Rd., within El Chorro Regional Park off Highway 1 between Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo. Admission is $5 per person and free for both children 12 and under and Garden Members. To learn more visit slobg.org or the SLO Botanical Garden Facebook page.