Volunteer In MoCo Parks For MLK Jr. Day Of Service

From the Montgomery Parks:

January 10 2020

MONTGOMERY PARKS ENCOURAGES PUBLIC TO VOLUNTEER IN PARKS FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY OF SERVICE
Parks’ facilities announce operating hours for January 20, 2020.

Silver Spring, MD – Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is hosting several volunteer opportunities on January 20, 2020, in conjunction with Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was designated a national day of service in 1994, honoring Dr. King’s legacy and empowering individuals to improve their communities by turning the federal holiday into a "Day On, Not a Day Off.”

“Volunteers play a critical role in keeping our parks clean and safe. Each year, during Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Montgomery Parks hosts between 10 to 15 park and stream cleanups,” said Henry Coppola, Montgomery Parks Volunteer Services Coordinator. “Cleanups are a great opportunity for people of all ages to get out into their local parks and make a direct impact to their neighborhoods and the environment. The cleanups are also a chance to learn about how our actions affect downstream waterways including the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean.”

Volunteer opportunities include removing trash or non-native invasive plants at various parks and trails throughout the county, including; Evans Parkway Neighborhood Park, Rock Creek Stream Valley Park, Paint Branch Stream Valley Park, Hillwood Manor Neighborhood Park, and Matthew Henson State Park Stream Valley Park. Locust Grove Nature Center will be hosting a drop-in volunteer opportunity. Individuals or families can stop in at their leisure between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and work on projects to improve the nature center grounds. All projects are outdoors, and participants should dress appropriately for the weather. The projects are approved for Student Service Learning (SSL) hours. Volunteers under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

Montgomery Parks began organizing MLK Jr. Day of Service clean-ups in 2012. The initiative has resulted in 2,623 volunteers removing more than 47 tons of trash and recyclables from parkland.

In addition to this initiative, Montgomery Parks’ Volunteer Services Office manages a robust volunteer program. In a typical year, the office manages 5,000 volunteers across 250 organized cleanups resulting in about 60 tons of trash and recyclables removed from parkland.

A list of all MLK Day of Service volunteer opportunities can be found at www.MontgomeryParks.org/MLK.


Martin Luther King Jr. Day Operating Hours and Programming
The following facilities will be closed on Monday, January 20, 2020:

• Montgomery Parks Headquarters and Permits Office
• Brookside Gardens Visitors Center and Conservatory (Gardens remain open sunrise to sunset)
• Meadowside Nature Center
• Brookside Nature Center
• Locust Grove Nature Center (Closed to visitors unless they are participating in a scheduled program)
• Black Hill Visitor Center and Nature Programs

Visit MontgomeryParks.org for complete operating hours for all facilities.

A selection of activities available during the holiday weekend include:

• Search for stars and planets while sipping hot chocolate at a Star Party at Agricultural History Farm Park.
• Draw inspiration from nature and make art work from recycled materials to be displayed at Black Hill Visitors Center.
• Join fellow adults on a winter birding excursion at Black Hill Regional Park.
• Bring your children to a nature-themed Sunday Storytime at Brookside Nature Center.
• Get a jump on summer planning at the Summer Camp and Skating Expo at Cabin John Ice Arena or Wheaton Ice Arena.
• Grab your racquet and hit the courts at Wheaton Indoor Tennis or Pauline Betz Addie Tennis Center.

Full details for these, and many more activities, can be found on MontgomeryParks.org.

About Montgomery Parks
Montgomery Parks manages more than 36,000 acres of parkland, consisting of 422 parks. Montgomery Parks is a department of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), a bi-county agency established in 1927 to steward public land. M-NCPPC has been nationally recognized for its high-quality parks and recreation services and is regarded as a national model by other parks systems. www.MontgomeryParks.org
Accessibility
Montgomery Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, encourages and supports the participation of individuals with disabilities. Please contact the Program Access Office at 301-495-2581 (Voice/TTY), MD Relay 7-1-1 or 800-552-7724 or ProgramAccess@MontgomeryParks.org to request a disability modification. Visit www.MontgomeryParks.org/access for more information.

This press release was produced by the MontgomeryParks. The views expressed here are the author’s own.