No Sweat! Aqua Angels Keep Charleston Parks Green and Gorgeous
If it’s one thing all Charlestonians know it’s the heat of a Lowcountry summer. From June to October, we’re all flip-flops and shorts, beach trips and sweet tea in an effort to beat the heat.
At least we can escape to the air conditioning. But, the plants, shrubs and flowers in our city parks spend their days basking in the hot sun. Without a dedicated group of volunteers, they would most certainly wither up during the summer months. For the last several years, Aqua Angels have been out in Charleston’s parks armed with a hose and training on proper watering techniques.
The Charleston Parks Conservancy works in more than 25 city parks and the thousands of plants in those park gardens need regular watering from the early spring well into the fall to keep them lush and green. Even though the Conservancy carefully selects native and drought-tolerant plants for the parks, they still need a drink, especially in parks with new plantings that have less established root systems.
Aqua Angel volunteers have already started earning their water wings this year and additional volunteers are coming on board to water area parks. Volunteers receive training and instruction from Conservancy staff and can select the park and volunteer hours that are most convenient for their schedules.
Volunteers water at Allan, Cannon, Chapel, Colonial Lake, Corrine Jones, Hazel Parker, Logan, McMahon, Magnolia, Marion Square, Medway, Shaw, Tiedemann, Wragg Square and Windermere.
Last year, Aqua Angels spent 1,880 hours watering in the parks, keeping the gardens looking their best for locals and visitors to Charleston.
“This is the perfect volunteer opportunity for people who have less flexible schedules and need to volunteer at a time that works for them,” said Neves Richards, volunteer and community events director for the Conservancy. “If you can hold a watering hose, you can help us keep Charleston’s parks blooming and beautiful all year long.”
Ready to earn your Water Wings? Fill out our volunteer application.