Our friends over at Trinity Episcopal came down to the Urban Ministry Center on Tuesday to help us sharpen up the Art Park. The winter took its toll on the park leaving debris blown up into the corners of the tire wall and dust and dirt covering the playing field. With brooms and dustpans and plastic gloves for picking up trash the students attacked the field with determination and energy.
The first class focused on sweeping and picking up trash while the second class scrubbed the benches that surround the park, cleaned behind the dasher boards and picked up trash along side the player benches. Some students, particularly the young gentleman in the first picture, were on a mission to get down and dirty while others who still made a big contribution were more in amazement saying "ohh gross, a cigarette!" as they kneeled down to pick up a butt that was resting in the goal mouth. Neigbors of the center and street soccer players jumped in to help and folks who were using the lockers were thankful for having the area cleaned up.
The park will be back in full swing in April so please visit the website to find out about the next open mic or soccer scrimmage. The art park continues to bring communities together and be a place of sharing and group effort. The park was erected with the help of UNCC college students and yesterday was maintained with the help of elementary school students all the while neighbors of the Urban Ministry Center tend to its needs year around. Whether it is students working with the community at the center to build or to clean, or it’s the street soccer team working together to prepare for the Homeless World Cup or an open mic night, the art park is a symbol of community collaboration and space. A big thanks to the Trinity students and teachers and of course to our dedicated soccer team members and Homeless Helping Homeless cleanup crew for volunteering your time to make our park clean again.
