Youth powers volunteer effort at Butler park
Youth was served Saturday at Father Marinaro Park in Butler, as Community Life Church members — mostly children — spent the morning volunteering to rake leaves and do a little spring cleaning.
The project was a show of community outreach, said church pastor Ben Ogle, and provided children a life lesson.
“We're all here to show the love of God through acts of kindness,” he said.
About 25 members, 15 of them children, donned work gloves and armed themselves with rakes beginning about 9 a.m. It didn't take long for the bags of leaves to pile up.
“I'm here because I wanted to be kind and helpful,” said 8-year-old Kaylee Collins, “and take care of the park and help people.”
Tyler Wojno, 9, was another willing worker.
“I wanted to help the community,” he said. “It's hard work but I believe we can all do it and finish it.”
Ogle said the park cleanup was an offshoot of a church initiative for young congregants called a “Kindness Tree” that recognizes random acts of kindness.
Every week, for every good deed done without being asked, a child can hang a leaf on a 15-foot tall papier-mache tree at the church in Butler Township.
Once the tree grows 500 leaves, the kids are rewarded with a party.
At the park, real leaves on the ground had become an eyesore of sorts. The leaves had gone unraked from last season.
The effort Saturday was not lost on at least one neighbor, Ralph Pincek, who lives on Lincoln Avenue. He stopped by while out walking his dog.
“I'm glad to see you guys doing this,” said Pincek, the self-proclaimed “mayor of lower Lincoln Avenue.”
City Councilman Jeff Smith, the parks and public property director, also made it a point to come out in support of the cleanup project.
“People like to talk about all the problems the city faces,” he said, “but when you see a group of kids, parents and young adults trying to make the community better like this, you know that Butler city does have a bright future.”
