Sonoma State University's AmeriCorps program will lead volunteers in a force of 330 at three Santa Rosa school sites for "Hands Across the County" from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 27.
Some 160 SSU students in the AmeriCorps program have signed up to work at everything from building sustainable gardens to refurbishing a clinic to repairing a playground. All projects will take place at schools in Southwest Santa Rosa. They will be joined by a total of 170 others from various organizations.
"SSU students work at the schools throughout the year to assist struggling learners. By bringing together volunteers, we are helping build a strong community support system for the schools," says Pam Nirdlinger of SSU's AmeriCorps Program.
They will be joined by 80 teens from the Youth Volunteer Corps; 20 Girl Scout Brownies; 20 members of a local church and 50 adults from school families and various clubs and service groups in the community.
The student volunteers will be at the following locations:
ROSELAND SCHOOL, 850 SEBASTOPOL ROAD, SANTA ROSA:
Fifteen different projects will include: refurbishing and painting the Roseland Children's Clinic and building an arbor in the family garden area, as well as replanting the sustainable garden and repainting and repairing from the halls to the library to the play ground. Some 80 teen volunteers from the Youth Volunteer Corps of the Volunteer Center of Santa Rosa will join them.
"The creation of the gardens at schools serves several important functions, giving students and teachers spaces for outdoor education and hands-on science projects, and involving parents in the continuation of the garden over the seasons, " Nirdlinger says.
KAWANA SCHOOL, 2121 MORAGA, SANTA ROSA
A large school garden project will be completed, playground equipment painted, and a protective coat applied to the murals. Parents, teachers, and members of a local service club will help.
BELLEVUE SCHOOL, 3223 PRIMROSE, SANTA ROSA
An existing abandoned garden will be reclaimed and large redwood trees will be planted to replace vandalized trees. A troop of 20 Girl Scout Brownies will be part of the work team.
Nirdlinger says the effort is organized to promote parent participation in the schools and link youth service groups to the schools for long-term service projects.
