There are so many wonderful features that make Cary great – our tree lined streets, the look-and-feel of our community, and all of the events that build community. But what really makes CARY great, are the people who live, work, play and raise families in this great Town.
What I’ve come to learn in my short time on council, is that our citizens aren’t just passionate contributors to our daily Town conversation; they put their heart, soul and free time to work to continue to make Cary the vibrant, amazing community that it is today.
John Kennedy famously said –
Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
Cary citizens have taken that to heart, right here in our own community.
Volunteers by the Numbers
Spruce, our volunteer-based program designed to connect citizens to beautification, litter reduction, and environmental service projects in our community has a number of activities going on all year. In fact, since today is Earth Day – you might want to check out some of those upcoming events and come out to Spring Daze in Bond Park, this Saturday, April 27th. You can also join the Spruce Facebook group to keep up on what’s next.
On Saturday, April 13th I joined almost 450 other volunteers for the Spring Litter Sweep across our town for several hours. Kids, seniors, boomers and families joined in to help make Cary “clean and forever green.” It was amazing to see people all across this community, getting together to pick up trash – and keep our community looking great. We owe a debt of gratitude to all those folks that gave their Saturday morning to this endeavor.
Find your Volunteer Passion
This weekend I joined Mayor Weinbrecht at the Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church for the dedication of their Community Garden. Funding for the community garden was provided in part by the Town’s Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program. The church was also assisted by the hard work of local Eagle Scouts and local home improvement and garden centers that have also been generous donors to help the Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church grow even more food for the hungry.
This summer, the garden will also benefit from the efforts of two Appalachian Service Youth projects and a class project by NC State Agriculture students to assist with irrigation. And the benefits from this garden – vegetables and more, will be given to the Interfaith Food Shuttle, the local organization that helps provide healthy meals for families in our area. This is truly a project that reaps benefits to all!
While there, I also saw Teens from Green Hope High School, on behalf of Spruce, getting in their service hours for their AP Environmental Science course. A great way to learn and give back, at the same time.
Perfect Gardening Shoes seen onsite
Teen Council
Speaking of teens – if you have some in your house, there are ways to get them out of the house… and involved in the community. Have them sign up for our Cary Teen Council. The Teen Council is 739 kids strong now… yes, 739!
See – everyone gets in on the volunteer action.
The Teen Council is a program that has been around more than 20 years, and is another volunteer organization – just for 6th-12th graders. These Teens participate in all kinds of programs across the town, from social and recreational events, volunteering and community awareness/service, educational, leadership/teamwork and fund raising/ recruitment. Many of the Cary Teen Council members receive a chance to serve in advisory capacities for various Town boards and commissions. In fact, we have one of those folks on the Information Services Advisory Board. I’m sure it looks good on their college application, too.
Membership Applications are accepted in June of each year, so stay tuned.
Thanks for all that you do to keep Cary the amazing community that it is.
