The Nimitz High School Future Farmers of America organization kicked off “National FFA Week” with a service project on Saturday, February 20.  They partnered with Keep Irving Beautiful for a beautification project at the Senter Park Pool.  Along with their faculty advisors and student council members, who they invited to join them, they gave a fresh coat of paint to the picnic shelters, safety handrails, and interior walls, and touched up the fence surrounding the pool.  In total, 37 students and faculty, along with a North Lake student and a community volunteer, combined their efforts for over 155 hours of service.  KIB partnered with the City of Irving Parks Aquatics Department, who provided the materials and technical guidance, and Irving Community Television Network (ICTN), who interviewed volunteers for a feature story, to make this a successful project.

“This is the third time we have partnered with the FFA group from Nimitz,” said KIB Board member Chuck Kirk, who was at the project and gave an interview for ICTN. “The fact that this group of students and their teachers chose to spend a beautiful Saturday doing something beneficial for the community says a lot about them.  This project was a continuation of one originally started by our long-time corporate partner, VHA (now Vizient) for their Community Day back in October, and they were followed by a new business partner, LandDesign, Inc. who painted in November.  Now we have a group of young people coming in to complete the project.  It shows how different aspects of one community – employees of large and small companies, schools and youth groups – can come together in the common goal of improving the place where they live and work.  Volunteers gave a total of 283 hours of service in these projects, and their efforts will be greatly appreciated by the many people who use the pool facility.”

Keep Irving Beautiful is a non-profit, grassroots, leadership organization dedicated to educating our community about litter abatement, recycling, and beautification in order to help preserve the health and promote the social and economic prosperity of our city. As an award winning affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful, Keep Irving Beautiful reaches out to and partners with all sectors of our city including government, business, church, cultural, educational, neighborhood and civic organizations.  If you are interested in volunteering with KIB, or making your activity a “green event,” please go to www.keepirvingbeautiful.org, or call the KIB office at 972-721-2175.