At SA2020, we’re kind of known as San Antonio’s “cheerleaders.” We celebrate our city’s successes, exciting growth, and generous spirit. That part of our job is pretty easy—there are so many things to love about San Antonio, from its history that dates back nearly 300 years to the big changes that are happening as we speak. But we also know that just loving our city isn’t enough. We also have to show that we care and give back to the place we call home, because that’s what will make it even stronger and more lovable. In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’re sharing a few things we love about San Antonio, as well as some opportunities to show those areas some more love.
Our culture
Even a tourist on their first trip to San Antonio instantly recognizes our city’s unique history and culture. From visual art to live music, we’re never at a loss for things to see, hear, and experience. We’ve got art walks like First Friday, Second Saturday and On and Off Fred, a Poet Laureate, and public art galore, all making our city uniquely San Antonio.
» Show your love:
While we all have our favorite museums, galleries, and theaters, this February we hope you’ll also visit somewhere new. Experience more of our Chicano, Latino, and Native American culture at Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (CineFestival kicks off February 24th!), check out our state and region’s amazing history at Institute of Texan Cultures, or see art in the making at Artpace‘s Open Studios on Valentine’s Day. Then, if you fall in love with the space you visit (it’s pretty likely), we hope you’ll become more than just a visitor. Volunteer with them, make a gift, or become a member. It’s a great way to show love not just to an organization, but to our entire city.
Our green spaces
San Antonio as a city began at our river and springs, then known as Yanaguana, and we love that our land and green spaces remain an important part of our city. In addition to maintaining the beauty and history of our open spaces, San Antonio is also expanding access to parks and integrating the land into our growth. The San Pedro Creek Improvements project is underway for the Tricentennial next year, Elmendorf Lake Park just re-opened with new amenities, and Brackenridge Park is currently being re-imagined with input from the community.
» Show your love:
To keep up this progress on parks and natural areas, we encourage you to read more about the 2017 Bond and vote for the Parks package. The City and community committees have proposed a $187 million package for parks, recreation, and open space, with multiple projects in all 10 city council districts. You can read more about the projects and all of the plans for the 2017 Bond here. Voting in favor of our parks will keep up this exciting momentum (without any tax increases!) and continue to expand access to parks and green spaces—a goal our community prioritized during the SA2020 visioning process.
Our neighbors
What’s more important to San Antonio than our people? We love that our community is made up of kind, generous, and friendly people: national lists even ranked San Antonio as America’s friendliest city and as the 2nd most neighborly city. We’re thankful that at SA2020 we get to work closely with so many San Antonians to collaborate and find solutions to our community’s challenges.
» Show your love:
If you’d like to show your neighbors some love, we have lots of ideas on how to do so. Our 145 nonprofit partners support San Antonians all across the city—from young to old, from high school students to the homeless. All of these organizations are doing incredible work to meet our SA2020 goals and give all of our neighbors more opportunity. This February, we hope you’ll support an SA2020 Partner, whether it’s one you know and love or one you haven’t heard of before, and in turn support even more of your neighbors. Click here to see them all, narrow down the list, and get involved.
Our ambition
In San Antonio, we don’t shy away from the hard work, and we absolutely love that about our city. In 2010, we came together to envision a bold, better future for ourselves—and then got to work making it a reality. We’re so glad to know so many organizations, individuals, and companies that are ambitious in making our city even stronger.
» Show your love:
Keep up the ambition! Check out our newest Impact Report, showing where our city stands on each of those bold goals we set for ourselves. Then, make a plan to get involved in one of the areas that needs help—including doing any of the things on this list! Whether you’re aware of it or not, you’re probably already doing something that affects the SA2020 Vision. But we’re now asking you to double down on that, get more ambitious, and do even more to show your love to San Antonio. If we do that—even after Valentine’s Day and February have ended—we know our goals will be well within reach.
