When they became park volunteers, the Kirkpatrick family did fun stuff. They dressed as pioneers and re-enacted Georgia settlers’ daily lives while school kids watched. They participated in full-moon hayrides and other fund-raisers.
Sure, they picked up the occasional discarded cup at Red Top Mountain State Park and Lodge. They patrolled hiking paths to make sure the walkways were clean. Volunteering, said Damon Kirkpatrick, was like icing on the cake at the Cartersville park —- something to sweeten the experience of a visit.
“These days,” he said, “we are the cake.”
The state Department of Natural Resources, which operates Georgia’s 63 state parks and historic sites, is relying on free labor like never before. Volunteers who once may have greeted park-goers or participated in wildlife exhibits now find themselves dealing with more pressing issues —- buying and changing toilet paper, for example, or mowing grass.
Volunteers keep parks running | ajc.com
Sure, they picked up the occasional discarded cup at Red Top Mountain State Park and Lodge. They patrolled hiking paths to make sure the walkways were clean. Volunteering, said Damon Kirkpatrick, was like icing on the cake at the Cartersville park —- something to sweeten the experience of a visit.
“These days,” he said, “we are the cake.”
The state Department of Natural Resources, which operates Georgia’s 63 state parks and historic sites, is relying on free labor like never before. Volunteers who once may have greeted park-goers or participated in wildlife exhibits now find themselves dealing with more pressing issues —- buying and changing toilet paper, for example, or mowing grass.
Volunteers keep parks running | ajc.com