Community Outreach

PMI Chapters Unite to Restore Loma Mar Redwoods

May 17, 2025 | Hoffman Creek Trailhead, San Mateo County Memorial Park

On a bright Saturday morning, volunteers from PMI’s Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area chapters gathered at the Hoffman Creek Trailhead to tackle one of Memorial Park’s most persistent threats: invasive French broom. With nearly 30 participants in-person event brought together professionals, students, and families for three hours of hands-on conservation and community building.

Restoring Balance to Our Redwoods

French broom (Genista monspessulana) poses a serious challenge to native ecosystems. Its rapid growth shades out newly planted tree seedlings, degrades wildlife habitat by displacing native forage species, and carries fire easily into the forest canopy. By removing broom plants at the Loma Mar Redwoods site, we took a tangible step toward healthier soils, safer forests, and thriving wildlife.

A Morning of Action

8:45 AM - Check-In & Gear Distribution
Upon arrival, volunteers signed waivers and picked up gloves and specialized weed wrenches. PMI hosts provided parking and carpool instructions to streamline logistics.

9:00 AM - Orientation
San Mateo County Parks coordinator Stuart Smith led a brief safety briefing, demonstrating the most effective techniques for uprooting broom roots and preventing regrowth.

9:10 AM – 12:00 PM - Removal Effort
Small teams fanned out along the trailhead, forming an efficient “assembly line”: one group loosened roots, another extracted entire plants, and a third bagged and carted debris to disposal points. Friendships formed over shared effort and conversation, and newcomers networked with long-time PMI members.

12:00 PM - Lunch & Networking (Optional)
Over boxed lunches, participants swapped stories, discussed PMI’s upcoming sustainability initiatives, and exchanged contact information—ensuring the relationships built in the forest would continue beyond the trails.

Voices from the Trail

“It was a wonderful experience and a great way to connect with my community,” shared one volunteer, reflecting the spirit of collaboration that defined our morning.

Behind the Scenes: Seamless Coordination

This event’s success hinged on meticulous planning and partnership:

San Mateo County Parks – Loma Mar Redwoods Team provided expert guidance, materials, and unwavering support throughout.
Host & Liaison Nehru Chevanan coordinated with San Mateo County Parks, arranged event day tool distribution, and managed on-site support.
Event Project Manager Kashika Srivastava orchestrated logistics, volunteer communications, and site preparation ensuring every detail was in place.

A heartfelt thank-you to all three for making this day run like clockwork, and to every volunteer who joined us in stewardship of our local redwoods.

Looking Forward

We’re already planning our next joint outreach! Whether you’re an experienced conservationist or new to volunteering, we invite you to stand with PMI in protecting our parks and strengthening community ties. Visit the PMI Silicon Valley chapter websites for details on upcoming events and be part of our next chapter in sustainability.

Photo Credit: PMI Silicon Valley & San Francisco Bay Area Chapters

Making a Difference: PMI-SV Volunteers Partner with Second Harvest!

SHFB Outreach On May 9, 2025, the Project Management Institute – Silicon Valley Chapter (PMI-SV) teamed up with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley for an impactful volunteer event at their Cypress Center in San Jose. Our mission? To combat food insecurity and support the hundreds of thousands of people in our community who rely on Second Harvest for nutritious food.

Nine enthusiastic PMI-SV volunteers, including Sirish Bhatnagar, Eliana Caceres, Yu-Ming Chen, Nehru Chevanan, Lana McIntire, Marwan Mukhar, Carlo Nocon, Neda Sayan, and Dr. Suman Suman, dedicated two hours to food rescue operations. They sorted and quality-checked apples and oranges, packed fruits and pantry essentials, and assembled distribution boxes. This incredible effort directly contributes to Second Harvest's goal of distributing food to over 500,000 people each month!

From a project management perspective, the event was a huge success! We saw strong volunteer participation, seamless collaboration with Second Harvest staff, and successfully followed all safety protocols, resulting in a zero-incident event. Our volunteers truly delivered value by directly contributing to food distribution and amplifying Second Harvest’s reach.

As a thank you for their hard work and community contribution, each volunteer earned 2.0 Professional Development Units (PDUs) under the "Giving Back" category of PMI’s Talent Triangle®. These PDUs help our PMI credential holders maintain their certifications and highlight the importance of social responsibility in project management.

A big shout-out to our PMI-SV project leads, Vishal and Beran, for their outstanding coordination, and to Nehru Chevanan, who was the perfect liaison with Second Harvest Food Bank.

We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley for their ongoing partnership and for giving us the opportunity to serve alongside their dedicated team. Together, we're making a real difference—one project, one partnership, and one act of service at a time!

For Information about any past or upcoming contact the Outreach Team