(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) recently collaborated on a service project to beautify Running Bear Park in South Irving. This was part of their annual Youth Conference, which was attended by teens from the Irving and other nearby communities.  On Saturday, March 17, 67 of those youth attendees, along with 23 adult sponsors and one student volunteer from North Lake College, gathered at Running Bear Park for a morning of service.  Part of the group volunteered for the paint crew, applying a fresh coat of paint to the metal safety fencing near the playground, while the others took on the task of collecting litter that had washed into the area from recent rains. After their combined 273 hours of service, the results were a shiny, new-looking fence around the north pavilion, and 940 pounds of litter collected - 760 pounds of which were recyclable materials diverted to a recycling center, with the potential of being made into a variety of new products instead of ending up in the landfill. Following the project, the group walked back to the Irving Meetinghouse, just a few blocks from the park, for lunch and continuation of the conference activities. City of Irving Parks Department staff was on site for logistic support, and Irving Community Television Network (ICTN) sent a crew to interview volunteers and capture the action. Solid Waste Services provided a roll-off container and weighed the materials collected.

KIB staff member Julie Schmitt commented on the day by saying, “We have an active faith groups outreach program here at Keep Irving Beautiful, and the Latter-day Saints have been a part of that since 2011. This latest project is very exciting for us because it involved so many young people who came here, not just from Irving, but also from surrounding communities. They are always a pleasure to work with, and the results their efforts here today at Running Bear will be appreciated by the many people who visit this park.”

Keep Irving Beautiful is a non-profit, grassroots, leadership organization dedicated to educating our community about litter abatement, recycling, and beautification 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 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 Keep Irving Beautiful, or call (972) 721-2175.