We held some quality service projects over the summer. We sponsored a clean-up project along the Jordan River Parkway in Salt Lake City where we picked up trash along the trail and pulled out invasive weeds. As residents of the area started to see us working, they began to come out and help. We eventually had dozens of the members of the neighborhood cleaning up their own community.
We teamed up with the International Rescue Committee of Salt Lake to give our members the opportunity to plant vegetables at their Draper Farm location. One volunteer remarked, “We are usually pulling things out of the ground. It was such a wonderful feeling putting something into the ground!”
And to cap off the end of the summer, we had a special opportunity to work with the staff at Zion National Park on a two day project planting grasses, shrubs, and trees, and pulling out invasive species.
In addition, our chapter in Maryland has been working on a long-term project at the Pleasant View Historic Site shoring up erosion areas and installing several large native plant gardens. Because of their work, they were given a citation and award “in recognition of outstanding achievement in improving our environment.”
As we grow, our organization would like to see these kind of opportunities available wherever our members reside. That is why we have developed a new mini-grant called the “Par Rasmusson Let’s Do Service grant.” Applicants submit proposals for projects to improve their communities, and LDSES provides between $100 -$500 to facilitate the project.
Learn more about these mini-grants
