Local congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as "wards") participated in three projects on Saturday, July 26, 2008, the tenth annual Colorado Cares Day. Thirty-three members of the Piney Creek Ward got an early start digging weeds and cleaning trash (40 bags) at the Melvin-Lewis Cemetery in the parking lot of the Pioneer Hills Shopping Center on South Parker Road. The cemetery was in use from about 1880 to 1910. In addition to pioneer graves, records show that the ashes of 1,662 people who donated their bodies to medical research were buried at the site.
Volunteers working at the site caught the eye of the early morning team at a Chick-fil-A restaurant located next to the cemetery.
Karen Arangua, manager of the Chick-fil-A came over and shared information that she has obtained about the Melvin and Lewis families. Ms. Arangua expressed gratitude to the volunteers for coming to clean the cemetery by offering each worker a free meal. At mid-morning,
Garry O'Hara of the Cherry Creek Valley Historical Society stopped by and shared information about the cemetery and the history of the area.
Also in Aurora, members of the Cherry Creek Ward reported to the Salvation Army Center to work. Projects at the Center included cleaning and sorting the contents of two sheds, weeding flower beds, pruning bushes, and assembling a new desk. Teenagers
Chris Rogers and
Breandan Coryell admitted that while they might not be found pruning bushes at their own house on a Saturday morning, it made them feel good to help out at the Salvation Army Center, which houses a day care and after school care program, a food pantry, a newly developed senior drop-in center, and a soon to operate music school.
In southeast Denver, members of the University Hills Ward focused their efforts on the House of Hope. The House of Hope provides shelter and resources for homeless women with children. The volunteers weeded garden beds and did a general yard cleanup. The youngest volunteers,
Ethan and
Christopher Kirk worked beside their father Richard, pulling weeds while wearing gloves that were much too large.
Colorado Cares Day was instituted at the beginning of Governor
Bill Owens first term, and Governor
Bill Ritter is supporting its continuation. The Colorado Cares initiative is a grassroots effort that encourages residents to participate in a day of volunteerism in honor of Colorado's statehood on August 1, 1876. This celebration of statehood encourages residents to give back to their own neighborhoods, promoting community service and emphasizing non-governmental solutions to Colorado's challenges.