Mid City Times

In The American Dream City, we thrive by working together and helping each other out. This is why volunteers are important and valued in the community.

The O.S. Gray Natural Area, located at 2021 W. Abram St., opened in 2010 and features tree-lined hike and bike trails, pollinator gardens, a playground and other amenities.

 The Friends of O.S. Gray Natural Area is a nonprofit volunteer organization that partners with the Arlington Parks and Recreation Department to promote, preserve, and maintain the 20-acre neighborhood park and natural area.

 The Friends of O.S. Gray hold monthly community days, where they encourage residents to go out and be a part of the area maintenance. This includes the removal of invasive species, adding more mulch to the walking trails, and anything else the area may need.

They also have annual events like the Backyard Bird Count, Chalk the Walk, and Star Party that residents can attend for free!

“The volunteerism in Arlington is great,” said Kevin Donnovan with the Friends of O.S. Gray. “However, there are many others that do what we do.”

Right now, the Friends of O.S. Gray have a set group of about 10 frequent volunteers, but are hoping to grow their volunteer base.

Sarah Stearns is one of the park’s longtime volunteers, starting when she was a high school senior trying to get her Girl Scouts award and continuing into her adulthood.

“It’s nice to give back to the community where I grew up,” Stearns said. “Being able to go back and say, ‘Man, I did something amazing today,’ and seeing tangible results is why I continue to volunteer.”

If you want to volunteer, the process is quite simple.! You can email the Friends of O.S. Gray at friends@friendsofosgray.org, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram to attend their community days, set up volunteer times, and receive updates about what is happening in the park.

Click here to learn more about the O.S. Gray Natural Area.

Original source can be found here.