Here is the information, please let me know if you can help!
We have a community event, Blue Valley Park Improvement Day, being held on April 9 at Blue Valley Park. We are hoping we can include your organization as a partner in this event, and also that one or more volunteers will be available that afternoon to teach the community about how to play frisbee golf at the courses at Blue Valley Park. Please see the attached schedule.
Share Your Passion for Nature – Change a Life!
John C. Robinson, African-American author of Birding for Everyone: Encouraging People of Color to Become Birdwatchers, recently spoke at the Anita B. Gorman Center and pointed out that minority children are experiencing a “nature deficit disorder” from not spending enough time outdoors to learn about the world around them.
On Saturday, April 9, individuals and organizations from all over Kansas City are uniting with the local urban community to beautify Blue Valley Park and give minority children and their families an opportunity to enjoy outdoor games and activities. This event, Blue Valley Park Improvement Day, will begin at 8 a.m. with several cleaning and planting projects including: invasive honeysuckle removal, cleaning park grounds, planting gardens, etc. We are hopeful that through these projects, participants of all ages will develop new skills and gain a better appreciation for the beauty of their park. Those who volunteer in the morning are invited to a potluck lunch, with hamburgers and hotdogs provided. (Please bring a side dish, chips, or a dessert.)
After lunch we will spend the afternoon sharing our love for the outdoors with youth and families from the community. Volunteers will lead bird walks, teach outdoor games or crafts, teach children basic fishing skills, and more. Partnering organizations will also have booths set up where the public can learn more about each organization. Come join us for a great day of park beautification & outdoor activities!
We need lots of caring people to help to make this day a success. If you are able to volunteer for any of the following activities on April 9, please contact Heidi at
friendsofbvp@aol.com.
Morning Activities – 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. (or whenever you can get there)
Bush Honeysuckle Removal – looking for 8 or more volunteers
Gardening Project with PGASLA – any number of volunteers welcome
Cleaning Up Park Grounds – all volunteers welcome
Luncheon for Volunteers (12 noon) – need at least 4 volunteers to set up & help barbecue
Afternoon Activities – 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (or the time you can give)
Nature Games & Crafts – need 8 or more volunteers
Fishing Basics – need 3+ volunteers
Birding/Nature Walks for Families – need 4-6 volunteers
An Introduction to Frisbee Golf – 4 volunteers
Partnering Organizations
Kansas City Parks and Recreation Osage Trails Chapter, Missouri Master Naturalists
Burroughs Audubon Society Prairie Gateway Chapter, American Society of
Of Greater Kansas City Landscape Architects
Blue Valley Neighborhood Association Missouri Department of Conservation
Earth Riders Trails Association Kansas City Wildlands/Bridging the Gap
Center for Equitable Education
“No man is so tall as when he stoops to help a child.” (Abraham Lincoln)
Also on April 2, the Friends of Lakeside Nature Center Stream Team will be cleaning up tires along the Blue River during Project Blue River Rescue. Blue Valley Park has been selected as one of the work sites for this event being held at about 20 locations up and down the Blue River. If your members can join us, we would be delighted!
General clean up of Blue Valley
