Volunteers make all the difference along the River

Go out on any given weekend to spend time in the great outdoors and chances are you will come across volunteers working. If not, you will surely come across the fruits of their labor in the form of beautiful green spaces and up-kept trails. Our communities along the River are fortunate to have an ever-growing and passionate group of people who volunteer. The obvious benefit of living in an area where people volunteer is a better quality of life and a greater sense of community. The other benefit is that stewardship of these areas helps to build awareness for environmental issues and to fill voids that underfunded city departments struggle to maintain.

Just this past month, volunteers came out in force for Love Your Park day, working in a variety of areas in our communities including Inn Yard Park, Germany Hill, Roxborough Reservoir and Pretzel Park (to name just a few). Not a week later, East Falls Tree Tenders planted 30 trees through Treevitalize. On the other side of the river, Lower Merion holds regular trail workdays each month, on their up and coming trail which will ultimately connect to the proposed Ivy Ridge Trail on our side of the river, another site which sees regular volunteer commitment.

Because connecting communities to the River is the overarching focus of the Schuylkill Project, supporting volunteer efforts is essential. Helping volunteers access resources, whether through the Schuylkill Project or city agencies, is one way to approach this task. Another is by holding bi-annual volunteer get-togethers where brainstorming and resource sharing is top of the agenda. Last Spring, a community volunteer tool bank was established. More recently, Annie Scott, a long time community volunteer, has joined the staff of the project with a major part of her day devoted to organizing and assisting volunteers. She is currently working on a volunteer manual which will provide guidance for volunteer leaders in managing volunteer groups of various sizes and skill levels.

The bottom line is there are a lot of volunteer groups working in our corner of the world, and a vast array of opportunities for all interests and skills. To connect with volunteer groups, visit the volunteer section of www.destinationschuylkillriver.org or drop Annie a line at ascott@manayunk.org.