As daunting as tending to a backyard garden is, just imagine trying to take care of acreage along the Trinity River Corridor. There were more than 400 folks and 42 companies that last year learned just how amazing the task is. The occasion was the Trinity River Conservation Corps’ 2nd Annual Corporate Day of Service, when folks like Southwest Airlines Chairman/CEO Gary Kelly collected “10,000 pounds of trash and invasive species and made thousands of seed balls to disburse in the corridor.”
Launched in 2013 thanks to a three-year gift of $150,000 from Southwest Airlines to the Trinity Park Conservancy (formerly known as The Trinity Trust Foundation), the grant was made for the creation of the Trinity River Conservation Corps to clean and conserve Dallas’ Trinity River Corridor.
That first year, “hundreds of Southwest Airlines volunteers cleaned and cleared the Cedar Creek Overlook, giving their time from the heart. The group helped restore this riparian area by planting 400 love (or LUV) grass plants and 100 native blooming and non blooming species provided by the Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility.”
The next year, the first Corporate Day of Service was officially established with 15 local companies and over 75 participants collecting 1.5 tons of trash and invasive species and planting hundreds of native plants along the Trinity Skyline Trail.
Unfortunately, due to the 2015 flooding, the effort was put on hiatus until April 2016, when things literally picked up again.
This year’s Corporate Day of Service will take place on Friday, April 7, starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Trinity River Corridor, Moore Park Gateway and Santa Fe Trestle Trail, 1837 E. 8th Street. Kicking things off will be remarks by Trinity River Conservancy VP/Boone Family Foundation President Garrett Boone.
The TRCC will provide the shovels and equipment and you’ll just need to dress casually with closed-toed shoes, long pants and gloves.
The event will be a done deal by noon, so you can toddle off with your buddies for a celebration lunch or just take the rest of the day off.
In addition to 250 volunteers and companies (City of Dallas, Downtown Dallas Inc., Energy in Action, Hayden Consultants, HDR Inc., Muse Integration and TXU Energy) having already signed up to participate, the following sponsors have come on board:
- Founding Sponsor: Southwest Airlines
- River Sponsor ($2,500): Quiling, Selander, Lownds, Winslett And Moser P.C.
- Wetland Sponsor ($1,000): HDR Engingeering Inc. and Oaxaca Interest LLC
- Steam Sponsor ($500): Connectrac and Tenet Healthcare
- In-Kind Sponsor: City of Dallas, Groundwork Dallas and Kroger
- Media Sponsor: MySweetCharity
Why not get your pals together, plaster on some sunscreen and help bring the best out in the Trinity Corridor? For more info about registration and sponsorships, check out Trinity River Conservation Corps or call Tierney Kaufman Hutchins at 214.720.1616.
* Photo provided by Trinity River Conservancy