Indiana Chapter Volunteers for Earth Day
The Phi Theta Kappa chapter at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Sellersburg
Campus, teamed up on Earth Day with the Student Government Association
to beautify a park near the school. Their efforts received front-page coverage
from two local newspapers.
The story and photos following are
reprinted with permission. Phi Theta Kappa's 2008-2010 International
Service Program is Operation Green: Improving Our Communities,
a partnership with Keep
America Beautiful.
Ivy Tech-Sellersburg Members,
Students Work to Beautify Park Behind School
By TARA HETTINGER
Evening
News and Tribune
Westley Harris stood on the rickety bridge
behind Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg on Tuesday.
Using
a crowbar, he pulled up the few remaining two-by-fours, leaving just the
two logs from the base connecting the two sides of the park over a small creek.
"Someone
needs to do it," the 20-year-old student said.
He and a few dozen
other students worked together on Earth Day to clean up the park, which included
tearing down the old bridge that was damaged by repeated flooding.
"A
lot of people didn't even know this park was here," said Pat Washington,
Phi Theta Kappa Chapter Secretary and student government president. "So,
one of our goals was to let them know this is here and to make them want to use
it."
To do that, student government and Phi Theta Kappa international
honor society for two-year colleges teamed together to organize a project
to revitalize the park and invited the campus community to help out.
Washington
said the park was in disrepair and needed some work, such as a new bridge and
getting rid of trash that had built up. To make it more appealing, they decided
to add more flowers and a wooden swing.
Students came down throughout
the day, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., to work on the project.
"I just wanted
to help clean the park up," said Larry Comer, who helped design and build
the new bridge. "It's got potential to be a really nice area." Comer volunteered
with his wife Jessica, Chapter Vice President of Service.
"It's
already looking a lot better," said chapter member Lisa Sheets.
Chapter
member Crystal Edwards, who helped organize the event, said this is just
the beginning. Student government and Phi Theta Kappa plan to keep working
on this project by cleaning up the trails, adding sand to the volleyball
court and maintaining Tuesday's progress.
Edwards said all
the sweat and hours put into this project will pay off in the end.
"Once
it's all done, it'll be worth it, because we can take our own families out
here and enjoy it," she said.
