Rochester Christian University students team up to beautify Oakland County park
PONTIAC, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - For the second year in a row, volunteers from the Pontiac Park's Division and Rochester Christian University are teaming up to give the city's parks a little tender loving care.
On Wednesday, more than 100 volunteers got their hands dirty at Aaron Perry Park, located off Edison Street.
The initiative is part of the college's "Warriors Serve" volunteer event.
Part of the group's checklist involves painting the parking posts and dugouts on the baseball field, clearing out the weeds on the athletic fields to plant new grass and even removing rundown shingles on buildings, including the ticket booth.
Volunteers also did their part to pick up any trash or debris scattered throughout the park.
"Yeah, it's awesome to come together as a school; it really unifies us together. It's awesome to meet new people, getting to be here with my friends," said volunteer Navy Phelps.
CBS News Detroit caught up with both the Pontiac mayor and head of the university's leadership department, who say they're thrilled to see the community coming together to spruce up the area to make a difference.
"It's awesome. They have great facilities, the parks in Pontiac are beautiful, and it's just a wonderful canvas for our campus to come and help out in any way we can," said Rochester Christian University leadership department chair Jaymes Vettraino.
"To see volunteers both from Pontiac and from neighboring communities come out, it really speaks to the sense of community that we're fostering here in Pontiac. This is about an all-in team effort to take better care of our parkland," said Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel.
Greimel says this initiative is just another way the city is committed to bringing people together for a good cause.