Fresno State Greeks and Valley Families Clean Up The Discovery Center.

Over 20 brothers of the Sigma Chi fraternity at Fresno State volunteered at the first Park Clean-Up Day

Last month, The Discovery Center hosted the first of many upcoming Park Clean-Up Days to get ready for the 2007 - 2008 school year. Volunteers from Sigma Chi and Theta Chi fraternities at Fresno State, as well as families from the Fresno area came out to the park to lend a helping hand with a variety of projects around the grounds.

Executive Director Janet Berry had a long list of projects for The Discovery Center that she
simply couldn't tackle on her own. However, with help from over 30 volunteers on Saturday, August 25th, many of these projects were able to get started.

"Seven acres of park is a lot to keep up, and having volunteers willing to lend a hand was a huge help," said Berry. "Some of these projects took a lot of muscle, and who better to help than volunteers from Sigma Chi and Theta Chi?"

With so many volunteers, a variety of tasks were undertaken. Local parents brought their little explorers to help clean up the ground of their favorite park. These children took rakes and
hoes to the pond, and removed dried plants from the surrounding area. They also took to the
areas surrounding the barn and "Dinosaur Dig" site.

Parents brought their littlest explorers to help prepare The Discovery Center for the new school year

Fraternity men from Fresno State were also on-hand to take on some labor-intensive projects. Gentleman from Theta Chi were some of the first volunteers to arrive at the event, helping to tear down an old
shed from the grounds. With help from over 20 brothers of another Fresno State organization, Sigma Chi, the shed was quickly taken down. "The park looks much better with the shed taken down, the grounds rake, and debris cleared away," said Berry.

While some volunteers worked on taking down the shed, others worked on taking down metal shelving that was provided by the Fresno Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals made a very generous donation to The Discovery Center, supplying them with not only the shelving, but also updated desks and filing cabinets for the office.

Fresno State Greeks helped out with a variety of projects, such as tearing down an
old shed on the grounds

"The donation from the court of appeals was a real win for us," said Berry. "The shelving for the barn will give us the ability to organize our teaching materials better. However, we still have plenty of work to do putting this shelving together. If you or your group are looking for volunteers,
please give our office a call."

Once the shelving was disassembled, the volunteers loaded up the shelving and brought it to The Discovery Center's site, where they began reassembling the shelves in the barn where many of
The Discovery Center's educational resources and seasonal exhibits are stored. The fraternity men were more than happy to lend a hand to this large project.

"I believe two of the main goals of any fraternity are to give back to the community and to build great leader," said Ryan Tubongbanua, President of Theta Chi Fraternity's Beta Upsilon Chapter. "Helping out at the Discovery Center was no exception; it gave us the opportunity to do just that.
It is always nice to be selfless and help out with causes that are bigger than you."

Overall, the volunteer day was a huge success. With the time donated by these generous individuals, The Discovery Center will be ready for the new school year.

Volunteers helped clear the dried plants from the areas surrounding favorite Discovery Center exhibits

The Discovery Center plans on hosting more Clean-Up Days in the future. In addition to these park clean-up events, The Discovery Center is also in need of regular volunteers to serve as
Park Docents, Educator's Assistants, and more. For more information about volunteering at The Discovery Center, visit our volunteer information page.