Week of Caring continues
Volunteers spruced up Preston Park Tuesday as part of the United Way's Week of Caring program.
“We've been doing this for about three to four years now,” said Dave Zarnick, Butler Township commissioner and president.
The volunteers took various shifts throughout the week and were grouped by their companies and organizations. Employees from five local businesses are working on the park this week.
“The township appreciates these companies and their people to come out here and help,” Zarnick said.
The volunteers received direction from the park's Monday Morning Maintenance Crew, a group of volunteers who assist in the day-to-day upkeep of the grounds.
“The Monday Morning Maintenance Crew play a vital role to the park,” Zarnick said.
Dave Heltzell, one of two co-coordinators of the maintenance crew, said Preston Park has a busy week, nearly full with projects.
On Tuesday, employees from AGR, AGR International and UPS were there with chain saws in hand as they sawed through dead trees and brush.
Heltzell said the trees were not chosen on a whim and were already designated to be taken down.
“We're taking down the dead pine trees identified by botanists,” he said.
Paul Erkins of Butler, an AGR International employee, was one volunteer who worked around the trees with a chain saw in hand and a smile on his face. He said he has participated in the Week of Caring every year so far. He said working outdoors and doing enjoyable things helps him stay motivated.
“I like doing this,” Erkins said. “It just so happens we like cutting (trees) down.”
Erkins said he feels that there were more volunteers this year, and the event has garnered more interest, at least from what he's seen at Preston Park. He said having more people helps them achieve their goal.
“It's catching on, I think,” he said. “The ultimate goal is to make the park look a little nicer.”
Preston Park also will have volunteers working Wednesday and Thursday. The participants will be working to remove invasive species of plants, weeds and brush, but they also will be doing some work on the park's trails.Work on trails is a staple for this event each year, and this year was no different. A lot of trails also receive a fresh paint on their markers and cleaning of their paths.United Way's John Furman, volunteer coordinator, said volunteers from 16 different organizations and businesses will be working on some of the 39 projects that will be tackled this week.Furman said most of the projects are in the Butler, Slippery Rock and Zelienople areas; although there are some sprinkled throughout the county.“These are the places that have a lot going on right now,” he said.The projects can also range from painting to building picnic benches.Furman said the goal for all of these projects is to make the communities around the county better places for people to live and spend their time.“There's all kind of stuff that's going on,” Furman said. “The more volunteers we can get for this kind of stuff, the more beneficial it is for everyone.”
