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Love Ripon? Volunteer this Saturday
ripon love
A volunteer removes graffiti during last years Love Ripon event. - photo by Photo Contributed

If you want to give Ripon a little love then mark Saturday, April 21, on your calendar.

The annual effort asks for four hours of time from 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. to assist in projects around Ripon.

The day starts with a rally at 8:15 a.m. in front of the Ripon Community Center, Fourth and Locust streets. There you will receive instructions from your team leader before heading to the volunteer work site. In order to sign up as a volunteer go to love ripon.com, check out the various projects under “volunteer” and then select one and fill out the registration form. Each project contains a description, location, and whether it is kid or family friendly.

Enough volunteers have already signed up to work in the Ripon Community Garden and for the Ripon High endeavor that includes repainting yellow “safety circles” in front of each door at the school and placing plants in planters in front of the school.

Assistance is still needed for the following projects:

uEntertaining and socializing with seniors at Bethany Home.

uHelping inventory medical devices shipped for humanitarian efforts from Assist International.

uWeeding and planting as part of a beautification effort for the area on East Milgeo Avenue between Pebble beach Drive and Cypress Point Drive.

uPlanting ground cover along the Fulton Avenue overbank next to the canal bank on Garrison Way near the Ripon Christian High football field.

uGraffiti removal under the Highway 99 and railroad bridges as well as trash pickup.

uSpreading bark and other endeavors at two city parks.

uPouring concrete at the Ripon Police Department shooting range.

uCleanup of the Second Street overpass with separate teams for the east and west sides.

uReplace surface of basketball area, new nets, and fix water fountain at Vermeulen Park.

uIvy removal and installing new poles for the replacement of chain link fencing between the Ripon High football stadium and Ripon Christian campus.

uVarious beautification projects at the Ripon Elementary School campus.

 

Nearby cities that will also have projects on April 21 are Escalon, Lodi, Modesto, Oakdale, Manteca, Riverbank, Salida, Stockton, Tracy, and Turlock among others.

Love Modesto started with two questions back in 2007: “Why is our city on some of the “worst cities in America” lists? What if our churches were to suddenly disappear from the Modesto area, would anyone even care or notice? 

The first Love Modesto on March 7, 2009. More than 1,200 people showed up to love their city in practical ways. The Modesto effort has been done 12 times since then and added more than 50 cities. Over 70,500 people have been involved — young, old, abled, disabled  people from a church or no church at all. Around 250,000 volunteer hours have been donated. This represents over $6.5 million in service based on formulas found at independentsector.org) that have been given to communities.

 

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com