Day of Service

I've been trying to decide how to write up a post on the church Day of Service in White Salmon in August.  I'm the Assistant Director of Public Affairs in my region of congregations and the Public Affairs Committee was in charge of planning our Day of Service this year.  My responsibility on the committee is with the media, so I submitted a write-up of the event which was printed in the White Salmon newspaper a few days following the service project.  The whole event took months to plan--I was not the project manager, though, since the Day of Service was the week after girls camp, for which I was Assistant Director (another story)--but I was heavily involved at the inception and the execution.  It was a proud day for our school and our church.  We did some amazing work and made some good friends in the community.

Read below for a better explanation of the entire thing.  I've included some before-and-after photos throughout, although I don't think they do justice to the great makeover on the exterior of the school.  It just looks so much better than it has in years. (Oh, and I've eliminated the name of the local schools and also changed all the people's names to just be initials, for privacy's sake.  They knew they'd be in the paper, but not on my blog.)

"One hundred fifty volunteers gave XXXXX Elementary a Back-to-School Facelift on Day of Service"

Above, 2 views from opposite ends of the front of the school, show before and during of the project.

On Saturday, August 20 approximately 150 volunteers converged on the elementary school to give it a massive facelift before the start of the new school year. Organized by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in partnership with the school PTO and principal V.P., the event was part of the Church’s worldwide Day of Service. Latter-day Saint volunteers from congregations in White Salmon, Hood River, and Stevenson worked alongside Whitson parents, staff members, students, and their families as well as high school students and other community members who just came to serve.

As volunteers arrived at the school early Saturday morning, they were put to work sanding the metal railings under windows; painting followed on those rails and play structures on the south playground. Inside, painters worked to give new colors to seven classrooms, the staff room, and several offices. Another crew worked to weed and clean up gardens and landscaping around the school building. Benches pre-built by volunteers were installed on the north playground. The sandbox was sifted of debris and a new cover installed to protect it when not in use. Outdoor picnic tables were stained and stenciled with colorful images. Markers for a measured walking path were embedded in the grass and stenciled with distances. A section of the parking lot was cleared of weeds and terraced with timbers and new gravel. Most visibly, the formerly pink panels above classroom windows were painted a dark red to match the building’s trim.

The "formerly pink panels" had been faded and in need of repainting for more than a decade.

Volunteer Y.L., a third-grader at the school, was “happy” to see so many people coming to help at her school. “I painted the railings around the vegetable gardens.” She thinks that “the other kids will be excited about the different colors on the playground.” D.G., a new fifth-grader at the middle school, said, "It felt good to know that that many people care about our school all around the community and other communities that are around us."

Doesn't that dark red look so much better? (This is on the back of the school.)

T.H. of Hood River, one of the project coordinators from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said "It was an amazingly rewarding day! To see people come from Stevenson, Hood River, and White Salmon from various churches, organizations and communities for one combined day of service for the school was very touching. Our oldest participant was 90 and the youngest was 5. The school looks beautiful, and I was thrilled to be a part of it and work side by side with so many people willing to give so much!" T.H. and J.W., also of Hood River, headed the project coordination and devoted many hours over several months to making sure the equipment, materials, and volunteers were ready and in place Saturday morning. Owing to successful fundraising over the last few years, particularly the annual Silent Auction, the PTO pledged $10,000 for supplies.

A.M.'s reason for participating was “twofold.” As an elementary school parent and member of the LDS congregation in White Salmon, A.M. said, “I wanted an opportunity to give back to my school. It’s not just my children’s school, it was my elementary school. It was a meaningful way to be able to give back to our school as a family, to have our children help us and work together. Working side-by-side with our children is a great way to grow as a family.”

September 2011 marks the second year that thousands of Latter-day Saint volunteers in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, British Columbia and northern Idaho will participate in such a Day of Service. The project at the school was completed in August so the school could be ready to greet students on the first day of classes on August 31.

Latter-day Saints in the Columbia Gorge have been holding their own area-wide service projects for three years now. In 2009 they moved furniture and removed old carpeting at Chenowith Elementary School in The Dalles in preparation for new flooring to be installed and helped install the Frisbee golf course at Sorosis Park. In 2010 they provided security and parking assistance at WAAAM’s annual fly-in event in Hood River. For 2011’s Day of Service, T.K., regional Church president, wanted to select a project in Washington. Jillaire McMillan, a PTO mother and Latter-day Saint helped bring the two groups together.

T.K. was pleased with the success of Saturday’s project. “When my family and I arrived at the elementary school, we were surprised at the size and scope of the work that needed to be done. People were painting, weeding, staining, digging, planting, sanding, and cleaning. It was great to see so many people involved. The enthusiasm for this project was so high even though there was much to be done. We are grateful that the White Salmon school district, PTO, local churches, volunteers and other organizations allowed us to be a part of a great day! We were happy to be involved and look forward to a future when we will have the opportunity to serve again.”

  

Old drab metal playground equipment

 

New bright and happy yellow swing set and red monkey bars

Adah and Maggie helped Damon remove turf to lay pavers for the measured walking path.  They used those wire brushes to clean the pavers before stenciling the distances on them.

Our stake (regional group of congregations) had a second Day of Service on October 22.  (The membership was geographically divided between the two projects.)  It was originally scheduled for September 17 but had to be postponed in the wake of a nearby wildfire.  This second project was in the city of Goldendale, about an hour northeast of White Salmon, and involved another 150+ volunteers.  This time they were building walking, hiking, and biking trails on a hill that houses an observatory.  This project was a big partnership between the Church, the city, the Kiwanis, and some groups that promote exercise and healthy living.  It was another great success.  However, because it was Adah's birthday that day, I got excused from attendance and don't have photos to show.  I was less involved with that project, although I also submitted press releases for it.  I won't make you-all read that one.  The elementary school project was, obviously, more significant to our family and to me, so I wanted to share that one.  It continues to be noticed and appreciated in our community.  It's a great example of different groups working together to effect some great change that they couldn't have done alone and I was proud to be a part of it.