LSSC holds third annual Community Appreciation Day on April 29

Fourth-graders pitch in at Humphreys Park.

Courtesy photo

Students from Linton-Stockton Schools could be found all across Greene County on Friday, April 29, saying “thank you” to the community through acts of kindness and volunteerism, during their third annual Community Appreciation Day.

No fewer than 28 students and three adults descended on Fairview Cemetery in Linton, picking up sticks, sweeping grass from walkways and headstones, washing headstones in need of it and picking up trash, old flowers and tattered flags throughout the cemetery, according to Cemetery Supervisor Sharon Sparks.

“They helped out so much,” Sparks said. “They even sprayed the weeds in the cracks of the sidewalks with a chemical-free weed-killing spray I make with vinegar.”

Sparks said she knew the group was coming, unless prevented by weather, but didn’t realize how much work they would accomplish.

“The cemetery looks great,” she commented. “With the tattered flags gone, we are ready for Memorial Day.”

Sparks said the group was accompanied by adults Ashley Mathis, Hobie Harrison and Leslie Cooperrider.

At various locations, students from the elementary school stuffed blessing boxes to capacity with goods, cleaned up at the Greene County Humane Society, Humphreys Park and Reservoir 26, wrote and delivered thank-you notes to post office workers, the police department, the fire department and employees at City Hall, picked up trash and donated 100 books to Head Start.

A large group of middle and high-schoolers toiled the day away at the 4-H Fairgrounds, painted flower pots, which they then filled with flowers and delivered to nursing home and assisted living residents, helped out at the LFCC clothing barn, cleaned up the grounds at a vacant residence by weeding, picking up sticks and general clean-up, walked the neighborhood to pick up trash, cleaned up and organized the basement and Youth House at Saron Church, pumped gas and cleaned windows at Casey’s gas station, stopped by the home of an elderly couple to landscape and fix a garage door, helped out at Pregnancy Choices, organized inside and landscaped outside at HEbron Boys Home in Lyons, built a new picnic table at the F.O.P. and, at Sportsmans Pub in Linton, an art club created a mural depicting a rainbow tie-dyed background with the iconic “You’ll Like Linton” sign in the foreground.