Meet Our Community: Bruce Victorine

As part of our seasonal spotlight series, we’re celebrating our incredible employees, partners, and volunteers who help make the work of Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful (KCCB) possible. In our Earth Day Blog, we talk about the ‘Ripple Effect’ and how all it takes is one person to inspire many to make a change in their community. Today we’re excited to introduce Bruce, whose dedication has played an important role in caring for our creeks and strengthening our community.

Role: Volunteer Cleanup team leader and BioBlitz Docent

With KCCB: 10 Years!

Fun Facts 🌟

• Happy place: Big Basin and Big Sur 🏞️ 

• Unusual creek sightings: ATM Machines 🌱🌊

• Favorite hobbies: Backpacking and Biking 🥾🚲⛺

• Favorite place to eat: Original Joe’s 😋

• Favorite color: Earth Tones, Greens/Browns 🌈

“We’ve been really enjoying downtown San Jose and trying new restaurants. San Jose is doing a really good job on making it more walkable and inviting people to enjoy the city.”

How it All Started 🌱

Bruce has been living in San Jose for over 40 years with his wife, Alie. His journey began with KCCB in a simple and unexpected way. 

While out on one of their usual walks along Coyote Creek, Bruce and Alie came across a group of volunteers doing a creek cleanup. Curious, they stopped to ask what the group was doing.

That moment of curiosity turned into something so much bigger.

What started as a walk became a commitment to giving back to the places they loved. Since that day, Bruce and Alie have returned again and again to volunteer with KCCB.

“I’ve put so many miles on Coyote Creek trail running, biking, and hiking. It’s just a way of giving back and taking care of the creek”

Impact on the Community 🌎

For Bruce, one of the most meaningful parts of volunteering with KCCB is the sense of community. Seeing the same familiar faces return again and again, watching new volunteers grow into leaders, those are all the parts in which keep him motivated. 

Beyond just the sense of community this organization brings, there’s something even more powerful happening here: change.

Bruce said, “There are areas that have just been abused over time. People would use the creeks as a dumping ground, and we’re trying to change that by protecting and educating people. At the end of the day we can look back and say we made a difference”

The impact of KCCB goes far beyond removing trash. The organization helps people recognize that these waterways are natural spaces that deserve care and respect. Many young volunteers come to earn community service hours, unsure of what to expect. But over time something special happens.

“There are students and teenagers who go out for community service hours and don’t really know what they are doing at first. By the next time, they are leading their own groups. That’s progression. . .and they keep coming back.”

KCCB’s impact has reached far beyond volunteers and the wider city. In 2017, there were record storms and flooding that immobilized the city. The city turned to KCCB and their volunteers for help. The organization assembled volunteers and community members to support recovery efforts. 

KCCB has continued to play a role in improving creek corridors across the city. Bruce has witnessed firsthand how areas that once felt unsafe or neglected have been transformed.

“You couldn’t even feel comfortable riding your bike through there at one point, but it’s cleaned up, it’s safe, and it’s usable again.”

Looking Ahead: The Future of KCCB ☀️🌳

For Bruce, the work of KCCB has always been about more than just cleanup events.

It’s about education, connection, and building a future where people feel responsible for the spaces around them.

“It’s not just about getting in and picking up trash in the creek, it’s educational. There’s bioblitzes that get put on and you’re out there sharing knowledge of the area with people. We can share what we’ve learned, and enjoy nature in a different way.” 

As KCCB enters a new era with leadership transitions and looks forward to the next decade, Bruce remains hopeful about the organization’s continued growth and impact.

Each cleanup brings together new people, sometimes 20 volunteers, sometimes 100, but the results are always illuminated by the community it builds.

Final Thoughts ✨

After 10 years of volunteering, Bruce has a simple but powerful perspective on the work.

“It might not ever be perfect, but you made a difference that day. You can go home, take a shower, and say, "It's better for what I did today.”