From left, Tony Stagno, Karen Hepler and Bill Giallombardo, helping during Monday Morning Maintenance at Preston Park in Butler Township, rake leaves during a spring cleanup session on Monday, April 17, 2023. The crew does volunteer work including leaf removal, trail maintenance and other odds and ends that the park requires. Cary Shaffer/Butler Eagle

Last week, we wrote about two separate sets of volunteers making a difference at local parks.

On Tuesday, a picture of the “Monday Morning Maintenance Crew” at Preston Park ran on Page 1 of the print edition of the Butler Eagle.

The crew meets nearly every Monday through the spring and fall to keep Preston Park in “good shape.” They pick up branches, clean up downed trees and ensure the park is kept a nice place for others to visit.

Volunteers can come any Monday and won’t be held to a certain number of days or hours, the organizers explained. Anyone can come help out.

A day earlier, an article in the Butler Eagle featured the volunteer kickoff meeting held Saturday at pavilion 7 in the McDanel’s Area on the North Shore of Moraine State Park.

The volunteers will help clear trails, explain to park visitors how the gristmill in McConnells Mill State Park works and help give tours of Lake Arthur on the Preston Pearl pontoon boat, among other things. In short, they will make visiting Butler County’s state parks a better experience for everyone else.

The news comes as we are amid National Volunteer Week, which runs from April 16 to 22 — and amid a time when volunteers are needed.

The Volunteering in America Report found 60.7 million adults volunteered 4.1 billion hours in 2021. The efforts amounted to an economic value estimated at $122.9 billion. Though the numbers seem impressive, this amounts to only a mere 23% of people age 16 and over.

Worth noting is that nearly 51% of that same population, or 124.7 million people, informally assisted neighbors between September 2020 and 2021, or “at the height of the pandemic,” according to the Volunteering and Civic Life in America research released in January 2023.

Of course, in 2021, the coronavirus pandemic was a serious concern for many, and a possible barrier to in-person volunteerism. The vaccine’s availability made getting back out there a lot more realistic for many with that concern.

If you have the time, consider adding volunteerism to your schedule, and even if you don’t “feel” like you have the time, you may be surprised by the value it adds anyway.

— TL