By Joyce Nanette Johnson, Neighborhood new watcher
Friday, September 24, 2010
The annual St. Petersburg CareFest 2010 will be held from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
The annual event is an opportunity for volunteers to give back to the community by donating their time and service for the improvement and refurbishing of residential homes, public parks, and non-profit organizations throughout the city.
Volunteers, comprised of individuals and groups from churches, schools, businesses, scouts, sorority and fraternity college alumni, and local sports teams have been divided into 105 groups that will tackle more than 95 projects, said Phillip Harris, coordinator of St. Petersburg CareFest.
"In St. Petersburg we already have 2,000 volunteers pre-registered," said Clarence Scott III, city administrator for Leisure and Community Services.
Home improvement projects include painting, sealing of windows and doors and pressure washing, and there will also be the installation of two wheelchair ramps with rails.
The volunteers will also offer lawn maintenance which includes basic mowing, tree trimming and the replanting of shrubs and flowers. The community projects team is embarking on a mission to mulch playgrounds and picnic areas, remove trash from the shoreline and & clean alleyways.
St. Petersburg CareFest2010 is being sponsored by the St. Petersburg's Neighborhood Partnership under the guidance of CareFest USA and Somebody Cares Tampa Bay. According to Harris more than $45,000 in cash and services have been raised by their partners – Wal-Mart, Brighthouse Networks and Bank of America.
"This really shows the people that we really care abut taking care of our own," said Harris.
Joyce Nanette Johnson, Neighborhood news watcher, has written for Citilife Magazine, the Weekly Challenger and is a contributing writer for the Community Connections Newsletter of Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services Inc.