UW Joins City in Laramie Community Service Day

September 16, 2013

Helping hands are being sought for the annual Laramie Community Service Day on Saturday, Sept. 28.

This annual day of service brings community members together to help beautify and improve Laramie. The Laramie Beautification Committee has partnered with the City of Laramie for 12 years of annual Community Service Days, producing excellent enhancements to Laramie. Those include gateway beautification projects, large-scale tree plantings along city entryways, sports field improvements and landscaping of recreation areas.

This year the University of Wyoming is joining forces with the Laramie Beautification Committee and the City of Laramie for Community Service Day. UW President Bob Sternberg encourages students, faculty and staff to participate in the morning of service.

“This is an opportunity for those of us at the university to show our appreciation for the entire Laramie community and to help make this wonderful city we all call home even more appealing,” Sternberg says. “We appreciate the Laramie Beautification Committee allowing us to join in its admirable efforts.”

Volunteers will beautify the East Grand Avenue entrance into Laramie this year. Trees and shrubs will be planted on a parcel of land generously donated to the city by Larry and Mary Foianini. A new “Welcome to Laramie, Service Club” sign, donated by the Chamber of Commerce 2012 Leadership Laramie Committee, will also be installed, and a cleanup effort along the length of the East Grand Avenue entryway will be undertaken.

“Community Service Day has become a tradition in our town. It provides all Laramie residents with an opportunity to improve their community and make a visible difference that will impact future generations,” says Dan Furphy, co-chairman of the Laramie Beautification Committee. “We welcome the University of Wyoming’s active participation in the event, and we hope that even more students, faculty and staff will take part as a result.”

On behalf of the City of Laramie, Parks and Recreation Director Paul Harrison says, “The participation and partnership with the University of Wyoming is a great example of the continuing growth of Community Service Day and the power of community volunteers.”

The Sept. 28 events will begin with a pancake breakfast for all participants at 7:45 a.m. at the Laramie Recreation Center’s outdoor pool area, located at 920 Boulder Drive. The volunteers are scheduled to begin working at 8:30 a.m. on the projects along East Grand. Participants are encouraged to bring gloves, work boots, shovels, garden rakes and sunscreen.

After the work ends at about 11:30 a.m., lunch will be provided to participants and their families at the west end of UW’s Fraternity Mall. Free parking will be available in the Wyoming Union lot on 15th Street, across from the mall. For those who wish to stay, guided tours of the College of Business, the new Energy Innovation Center, the refurbished Geological Museum, the Visual Arts Building, Wildcatter Suites at War Memorial Stadium, the planned renovation of the Arena-Auditorium and other buildings will follow lunch.

“One of my goals as UW’s new president is to strengthen the bond between the university and the Laramie community,” Sternberg says. “There are plenty of UW employees and students who serve off campus, and lots of people from off campus who contribute to the university, but I’m not sure if all the people of Laramie really know how much the university appreciates them. This Community Service Day is a great opportunity for us all to work together for the common good.”

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