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FWISD Observes César Chávez and Dolores Huerta Day of Service by Participating in City Beautification Projects
Students, staff and volunteers joined forces to beautify nine Fort Worth parks and gardens in honor of the Forth Worth ISD’s annual César Chávez and Dolores Huerta Day of Service this week.
The observance was established in 2018 as a student holiday with the goal of offering students opportunities to give back to the community. Students and staff, who were off Monday, March 27, and community members tackled beautification projects at nine sites identified through a collaboration with the City’s Park and Recreation and Keep Fort Worth Beautiful departments. A location was identified in each of the nine FWISD trustee Districts to make participation easy and equitable across the city.
The initiative was spearheaded by the FWISD Student Support Services Division and the Family Action Center. City-wide projects attracted dozens of participants. Joining in were volunteers from schools, neighborhood associations, neighborhood patrol officers, Girls Inc., My Brother’s Keeper, Communities in School, the LaDainian Tomlinson Touching Lives Foundation, and other groups wishing to honor the legacy of community service and environmentalism established by Mr. Chávez and Ms. Huerta.
Board Trustee Anael Luebanos, who served at the Greenbriar Community Center in south Fort Worth, said he enjoyed the project.
“Having many work sites of shorter duration made it easy for people to volunteer despite their work schedule and where they live,” he said. “I had never been to Greenbriar Community Center, but my son is already planning for us to come back to enjoy the park and lake.”
Volunteer Kristine Williams volunteered at two locations even though she does not have any children enrolled in FWISD.
“I live in Fort Worth, so I want to support my school District,” she said.
Likewise, FWISD teacher Sharon Hodges said these events are a learning opportunity for adults and children alike.
“This is a great way to promote social and civic responsibility, enhance social-emotional well-being of students and learn about the legacies of two prominent Hispanic leaders,” she said.