The #FinCon12 Lincoln Park Denver Project
On Friday, September 7th, 2012, around 75 #FinCon12 attendees traveled to Denver’s Lincoln Park for a community service project. Here’s a sample of some of the work we did:
Tree Planting
We planted 20 new trees. It was a tough process (digging the holes), but several teams of 5 or 6 worked their way around the park to plant a couple of trees each. There are now 20 more trees in Lincoln Park thanks to #FinCon12 attendees!
Volunteers planted twenty trees at Lincoln Park in Denver.
Spread Mulch and Decorative Mulch
I was on the crew in charge of spreading mulch around several trees in the park. I’d estimate that we mulched close to 100 trees. In the dry Denver climate the mulch is necessary for holding moisture. It also makes the park look nice. Another crew spread decorative mulch around the park’s main building and other areas.
New decorative mulch placed on the main building in Lincoln Park in Denver.
Spread Playground Fibar
Our last big job was to spread fibar around the base of the playground at the north end of the park. This fibar isn’t just meant to make the playground look nice. It’s aimed at creating a safer environment. By adding the fibar we brought the playground up to code. Meaning the height from the top of the fibar to the bottom of the slides and swings was appropriate. What a great contribution we made.
In addition to the planting, mulching, and fibar work, I saw many crews picking up trash, pulling weeds, and basically doing whatever was needed to make the park a better place for the community.
Denver’s Lincoln Park
FinCon contributed $650 dollars to supplies for the project. So, even though we didn’t get to spread all the mulch, it’s there for the city employees to continue the work. The city also used the money to buy paint which will go towards re-painting the playground.
Here’s the thank you note from the City of Denver Parks and Rec Manager:
Dear Volunteer… On behalf of Denver Parks and Recreation, we want to express our sincerest appreciation for your continued commitment in assisting us in maintaining our parks and trails. It is because of valued volunteers such as yourself, we are able to continue to offer the broad scope of services to the residents of the City and County of Denver. We hope you had a great experience and we appreciate all your efforts. We look forward to working with you in the future. Kindest Regards, Lauri Dannemiller, Manager
A couple of other notes:
- Instead of wasting money and fuel on buses to the park, volunteers took the Denver light rail. Leftover tickets were donated to the City of Denver.
- We ordered pizza for all volunteers and city coordinators. The leftovers were shared with the Lincoln Park community.
- Blogs that covered the service project details: Money Saving Enthusiast.
Did you volunteer for this project? Have thoughts to share?
