Community Service: Volunteering as a Family

Community clean up day at Greenfield Energy Park. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)

During the holiday season there was much discussion about community service opportunities families could participate in together. Now that spring has arrived, many parks are getting ready for the season with spring clean ups, an excellent time of the year for families to participate in community service together, while enjoying the outdoors.

This past Saturday, April 7th, 2012 Greenfield Energy Park had their spring clean up, and several families stopped by to volunteer their time and energy cleaning up the park. Coordinator, Nancy Hazard, invites families to join her during the summer on Thursday evenings during the Coop Concerts (6-8pm) to quietly help with weeding.  And in the fall there will be another big community clean up.  We’ll announce when here on Hilltown Families, along with other opportunities we learn about for families over the seasons.

Today Saturday, April 14th, 2012 there are several more opportunities for families to participate in community service by volunteering their time to local clean up efforts.

Look Park in Florence is opening for the season, but the grounds need some attention! Bring your family and come to the park ready to work (BYO rake and gloves).

Families can participate together in community service at one of the many spring clean ups happening in the region. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)

And just down the road, also in Florence, there will be a community work morning and tour of the new Beaver Brook/Fitzgerald Lake Greenway with the Broad Brook Coalition.  Bring your family (and gloves!) and help clean up debris, fallen branches and tree limbs.  There will also be a brief tour of the farm and artifacts that once occupied this area.

In Ashfield, families can join the Trustees of Reservation for a morning of trail maintenance at Chapel Brook. The Appalachian Mountain Club will be offering beginner climbing lessons too!

And in West Springfield, families can help clean up at Regan Park in the afternoon by raking grass, picking up trash, and removing debris left over from winter.

Do you know of a community service opportunity for families in Western MA?  Tell us so we can share with families interested in volunteering with their kids in our community: hilltownfamilies@gmail.com.