Grand TetonNational Park employees donated a âDay of Serviceâ to their local community of Jackson, Wyoming in observance of Martin Luther King Day on January 19, 2009. Park staff contributed their time and energy in answer to the nation-wide challenge by President Barack Obama, who called upon American citizens to provide community service during the federal holiday.
A team of 13 Grand Teton employees joined 17 other community volunteers to help with the construction of two houses being built by the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate; the houses are destined to become homes for a single mother of two and a family with four young children â two well-deserving Jackson families. Park staff also collected about 200 pounds of food for the Jackson Cupboard, a non-profit pantry, in order to help stock shelves with groceries for local families in need. In addition to the food drive and building projects by Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Teton Area, park naturalists provided educational programs for two different audiences. Interpretive rangers organized a field trip on Teton geology for the Jackson HoleMiddle Schoolâs gifted and talented students; and naturalists gave a hands-on program about park wildlife to the elderly residents of the LivingCenter, a nursing care facility, as well as to several pre-school students who were visiting the LivingCenter on Martin Luther King Day.
These multiple outreach initiatives offered GTNP employees an opportunity to give back to a generous and highly-engaged community that regularly supports park programs and projects by supplying volunteer assistance throughout the year. It also allowed park staff the chance to contribute to their local community in a direct and tangible way.
Park employees who participated in the âDay of Serviceâ projects felt that it was a worthy and rewarding experience, and many expressed their intentions to seek additional opportunities to participate as community volunteers in the future.
Ruby: 1.8.7, Rails: 1.1.6