Approximately 450 incoming Belmont University freshmen helped clean up some of Metro Nashville’s city parks today, including helping clear out a backlog of cleanup and repair work at Nashville’s signature Warner Parks, as part of a week of activities designed to help them transition to college life.
Each year, Belmont invites incoming freshmen to participate in community service, says Matthew Burchett, Coordinator of New Student Programs in the Dean of Students office. “We realize the importance of encouraging young men and women to commit themselves to service. Belmont University is dedicated to engage students in service through both classroom and co-curricular experiences. This event is representative of Belmont’s commitment to teaching our students the value of serving in their community.”
Belmont calls the service program S.E.R.V.E, which stands for Students committed to Engage and Restore our community through Volunteer Experiences.
Approximately 300 students worked on four major projects at the Warner Parks, including working in the Nature Center, completing litter clean-up tasks, removing non-native plants from the park, and replacing those with native seeds and seedlings, Burchett said.
Belmont is working with Friends of Warner Parks on the project. “We are excited that Friends of Warner Parks has graciously provided staff members and other resources to enable our students to serve Nashville as well as the environment.”
“With limited staff and budget cuts, volunteers allow us to continue preserving and protecting the city’s largest park,” said Cammie Claybrook, director of volunteers for Friends of Warner Parks. “We are so fortunate to have a large group like Belmont University that can make such a huge difference in just a couple of hours.”
Another 100 to 150 students worked with the Metro Nashville Beautification and Environment Commission to clean-up local park areas near the Belmont campus.
About The Warner Parks
Edwin and Percy Warner Parks, collectively known as “The Warner Parks,” are managed by the Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation of Nashville and Davidson County. The Warner Parks are the largest municipally administered parks in Tennessee and together span 2684 acres of forest and field, 9 miles from downtown Nashville. More than 500,000 people visit the Parks annually to utilize picnic areas, scenic roadways and overlooks, hiking trails, equestrian center and horse trails, cross country running courses, golf courses, athletic fields, and other areas of the park. Warner Parks is also an important historical community resource listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
