On the morning of Sunday, August 23, more than 30 children, teens and adults from Prairie Unitarian Universalist Church gathered trash and recyclable litter from the Railbender Skate and Tennis Park near East Plaza Drive on Twenty Mile Road in Parker. They also gathered debris from a portion of the Cherry Creek Regional Trail, just west of the park.

"The cleanup project was part of the church's summer youth program," said Kristin Famula, Director of Religious Education for the congregation. "Summer of ServUUs offers various service and social justice projects throughout the summer. The program gives children and teens the opportunity to learn about various needs in the community and in the world, and the chance to learn how to help create change."

Famula said that this summer the children have learned about hunger, homelessness, the democratic process, the special needs of U.S. troops and their families and much more. She said the children and teens in the congregation's religious education program have made both monetary and in-kind donations to the Parker Task Force food bank, the Children's Hospital, the Dumb Friends League, the Douglas County "National Night Out" event, the troops at Ft. Carson, Habitat for Humanity and other organizations.

In addition to collecting trash and recyclables at the park and trail, the children also wrote letters to Parker mayor David Casiano and the editors of local newspapers, suggesting ways to help keep the park cleaner.

Prairie Unitarian Universalist Church was founded in 1999 by members of other Unitarian Universalist congregations in the Denver area to provide a liberal religious home for residents of the southeast Denver suburbs including south Aurora and Parker. Services are held every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in Prairie Crossing Elementary School, 11605 S. Bradbury Ranch Drive in Parker. The church is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, representing more than 1,010 churches with more than 220,000 members throughout the United States. Further information about Prairie Unitarian Universalist Church can be found on the Internet at www.prairieuu.org.