Projects set for Lovell ‘Days’ of Service Friday, Saturday

Community members and students will fan out across Lovell and the immediate area this weekend to participate in the third annual Lovell Day of Service.

Held in conjunction with Global Youth Service Day, the Day of Service will actually be two days of service this year, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, April 19-20.

The first community service day was held in 2022 as part of Global Youth Service Day, and around 75 youths and a few adults turned out on a cold and rainy day to work at various sites.

Last year, organizer Darece Grant expanded the program to include the entire community and organized the service opportunities through the website www.justserve.org. Grant said around 170 people participated last year -- 54 at the Lovell Library alone -- including several elementary school students.

“It’s not just for youth, it’s for everyone in the community,” Grant noted, adding that it is good for young people to see adult leaders, teachers and parents serving alongside them.

The big change this year is that the event has expanded into Saturday, and Grant said the Lovell “Days” of Service will run from 9 a.m. to noon both April 19 and April 20, though volunteers can stay at a given site longer if they choose. There is no school on April 19, with the Lovell High School Junior-Senior Prom scheduled for that evening.

“We encourage kids to go do a little service in the morning as a kickoff to their prom day,” Grant said.

The sites

Volunteers can sign up for a specific project by going to the website www.justserve.org and putting 82431 in the search bar. People can also scan a QR code printed on posters around town. There will be a supervisor at each volunteer site.

“The good thing about volunteering through the website is that the coordinators (supervisors) at each site will know how many volunteers they’ll have,” Grant said, adding that those who don’t sign up online can simply go to one of the project sites.

The list for Friday, April 19, is as follows:

• The North Big Horn Senior Citizens Center, 757 Great Western Avenue, is seeking people to tie quilts that are given away to the New Horizons Care Center, the VA Hospital and various projects and individuals. Around 50 quilts are donated each year. Fabric and other supplies are provided, and volunteers can sew at the center or at home.

Volunteers are also needed to wash windows at the senior center inside and out. Cleaning supplies will be provided.

In addition, volunteers are needed to vacuum out the senior center transportation vans and sweep the garage the vans are stored in. All equipment and supplies will be provided.

• The Lovell-Kane Area Museum is holding a cleanup day at the museum at 354 Oregon Avenue in Lovell. The museum needs help raking and bagging leaves outside the building, with other cleanup possible, as well. Volunteers should bring their own rake, gloves and water.

• The North Big Horn Hospital is seeking volunteers for a clean-up day for raking leaves and washing windows at the hospital and New Horizons Care Center. Cleaning supplies will be provided for window washing, and those working outside are asked to bring their own rake and gloves.

• The United Methodist Church of Lovell, 15 Park Avenue, needs some help dusting and sprucing up inside as well as removing trash along the hedge west of the building. There will be treats for the volunteers.

• The Hyart Theatre will host a morning of wiping down auditorium seats and cleaning the old seat numbers on the armrests. Volunteers are asked to bring a gallon bucket and a rag. Teenagers and adults are preferred.

• The Lovell Library, 300 Oregon Avenue, is seeking volunteers to cut, separate and organize craft kits for children to take home and enjoy throughout the year. Volunteers should be 12 years old or older.

The library staff also needs six volunteers to wash toys, tables and chairs. Other assignments such as straightening shelves and organizing craft supplies will be given after furniture has all been cleaned.

• Finally on April 19, the Foster Gulch Golf Course is seeking golfers or anyone else to help get the golf course spruced up for the summer season. Volunteers are asked to bring a rake and gloves to help clean up around the greens.

Projects on Saturday, April 20, are:

• The Lovell-Kane Area Museum is organizing a cleanup day at the Sand Draw Cemetery east of Lovell. Volunteers will rake leaves and clean up around headstones and walkways. Participants are asked to bring their own rake and gloves.

• A service day at Horseshoe Bend is planned by the National Park Service on April 20. Volunteers will rake leaves, pick up branches and clean up after the wild horses that frequented the area during the fall and winter. Bring a rake and/or shovel and gloves to help clean up the beach and dock area.

The National Park Service is also holding a service day at the Cal S. Taggart Visitor Center just east of Lovell. Volunteers are asked to bring rakes and gloves and help clean up the grounds around the visitor center.

• Rose City West, 472 West 7^th Street, is seeking volunteers to wash windows and clean up around the apartments at the retirement complex. All window cleaning supplies will be provided, but if volunteers have a rake, gloves or a window squeegee, they are asked to bring them.

“We encourage everyone to come out and serve as a family, youth group, friends or neighbors to help make our community better,” Grant said.