Little Hands Help Out in a Big Way

The very first volunteer project of the newly formed Community Service Helpers turned out to be a great success. Ten volunteers, all around the age of 10, took to the garden at Hazel Parker Playground in the late afternoon last week. Under the direction of their two leaders, Sandra Deering and Susan Cale, the kids were well organized and very enthusiastic about the projects at hand. “We are Community Helpers,” I heard one of the kids repeating over and over to every person who passed by while he was working!
The kids learned a few basics about gardening and spent about an hour applying what they learned in the garden. I was thrilled to be a part of their first project and hope this group will continue to work withtThe Charleston Parks Conservancy in this park and other parks in the future.
The kids did it all, from watering to pruning to weeding the beds. They learned a lot about gardening and had a great time. What was their reward? As I overheard their leader say, “You get a personal reward for giving back to the community and doing something great for the park.”