REI San Antonio opens with fun activities and volunteer opportunities
Posted by Sarah W on September 26, 2012
Young volunteers collect native grass seed (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
There’s a new store in town. REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) is celebrating the grand opening of its new San Antonio store near I-10 and Huebner and we’re all invited. This national outdoor retail co-op has prepared an action-packed weekend of events and giveaways from Friday, October 5 to Sunday, October 7. But you can get a head-start by joining up this weekend for a volunteer event in honor of National Public Lands Day.
The REI team has been gearing up for a grand welcome to the neighborhood and is eager to get active with the San Antonio community. Employees have already volunteered more than 450 hours to help support San Antonio’s parks and preserve our natural spaces. Want to help?
On Saturday, September 29, pack your gardening gloves and get ready to plant. From 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., volunteers are invited to help with planting 5 acres of grassland restoration at Phil Hardberger Park. The holes have been pre-dug by the REI team, so all you have to do is get the grass planted and soon there will be a restored and beautiful grassland at the park. Plus, the first 100 participants will get a free REI t-shirt. Be a part of the team and volunteer to help plant the grasslands by e-mailing Gabriela Tello at gabriela.tello@sanantonio.gov or call (210) 207- 2899.
If you’re holding out for some more REI goodies, check out the fun grand opening events they have planned for the following weekend.
There’s a free continental breakfast for early birds to enjoy an hour before the store opens, starting at 9 a.m. on Friday, October 5. You can also catch breakfast on Saturday morning starting at 8 a.m. or Sunday at 9 a.m.
Be one of the first 200 people to visit the store on any day of the opening weekend and get a free limited-edition CamelBak water bottle with an REI gift card inside, it could range anywhere from $10 to $100, but this give-away is reserved for customers ages 12 and over. Throughout the weekend, you can also enter to win gear sweepstakes packages with cycling, camping, and hiking products.
If you and your family live for the outdoors, you won’t want to miss the goodies REI has to offer. Plus, REI San Antonio is partnering with the community to offer educational classes, outdoor presentations, and volunteer opportunities for your family. Check out a listing of their classes and events online, and be on the lookout for more fun like Hiking Basics, Backpacking Basics, Camp Cooking Basics, Outdoor Photography Basics and other special presentations.
Looking for another chance to get hands-on and volunteer? The REI team will be out at the Cibolo Nature Center on Saturday, October 20 at 8:30 a.m. for a volunteer stewardship project.
If you want to learn more or help out this Saturday on National Public Lands Day, click here for more information on volunteer events. Have fun and enjoy the great outdoors this fall!
