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West Jordan Journal

Volunteers spruce up the city on Comcast Cares Day

Jun 05, 2018 12:34PM ● By Ruth Hendricks

Volunteers paint the restrooms at Veterans Memorial park as part of Comcast Cares Day. (Jenny Dinkelman)

By Ruth Hendricks | [email protected]

An army of volunteers showed up on April 21 to make a lasting difference in the community during Comcast Cares Day.

Comcast estimates that 10,000 volunteers joined together to make change happen across the Wasatch Front.

Comcast Cares Day has grown to become one of the state’s largest single-day corporate volunteer efforts where Comcast employees, community partners, nonprofit organizations, families and friends all join to clean, rejuvenate and beautify public areas around Utah.

In West Jordan, volunteers enjoyed doughnuts and juice and received a T-shirt while checking in at the Ron Wood Baseball Complex from 7 to 8 a.m. Then they divided into project groups and spread throughout West Jordan from 8 a.m. until noon, ready to plant trees, spread bark mulch, pull weeds, clean flower beds and spruce up the city in many ways.

From noon to 1 p.m., the volunteers enjoyed lunch and a thank-you celebration back at the Ron Wood Baseball Complex.

One group of volunteers represented the West Jordan PONY Baseball league.

The league plays at the Veterans’ Memorial park. It had lost a previous source of revenue when a building it used as a snack shack for concession sales had to be torn down three years ago. It has not yet been rebuilt.

PONY Baseball officials approached the West Jordan City Council around March and asked if they could perform service in lieu of the fees normally charged to rent the baseball fields at the park for this season.

The group reached an agreement with the city council to have at least 100 volunteers show up and make improvements at the Veterans Memorial park.

Jenny Dinkelman, a leader with PONY baseball, said, “We had between 115 and 130 volunteers show up, since some came by later. The youngest volunteer was 2 years old.”

The volunteers worked to paint the bathrooms and pavilions at the park. They also trimmed the rose bushes and pulled weeds near 2200 West and 7800 South.

So, whether the group received a break from the city on fees, or whether they gave of their time with no return, the event showed that many West Jordan residents care enough about their community to give their time and muscle power in service to their neighborhood.