Local Lions, Rotarians, and students joined forces to clean the area.
Each fall, members of the Lions Club of Vicksburg, Rotary Club of Vicksburg, and the Vicksburg High School chapter of the National Honor Society join forces for a clean-up at the Vicksburg Historical Museum and Village. Members of all three groups promote and participate in community service. Volunteerism has been and continues to be the heart of many community organizations and is reflected in club mottos, including Rotary “Service Above Self” and Lions “We Serve.”
While meetings are a part of membership, a service attitude and participation in community projects are most important.
Saturday morning, October 12, area volunteers of all ages arrived with rakes and gloves, and within a few hours –and good-natured camaraderie – the task was finished.
Larry Forsyth, Rotarian and one of the clean-up organizers, stressed the importance of many volunteers participating in the joint project. “The spring and fall clean ups at the Historic Village are quite labor-intensive, requiring 80-100 man hours. Members of our community have responded with enthusiastic volunteers from the National Honor Society, Vicksburg Historical Society, Lions Club, Rotary Club and Vicksburg’s Department of Public Works all working together.”
Katie Grossman, Vicksburg Lion’s Club Community Service committee chair, appreciated both the weather and numbers of volunteers. “We had a beautiful morning and a good turnout for the Historic Village clean-up. Our volunteers focused on leaf removal and weeding for about three hours, and it looked tidy when we left!”
Charlie Church, Vicksburg Historical Society president, said, “Volunteer maintenance of the Historic Village is enmeshed in its composition. We are so grateful to have service organizations like the Lions, Rotary, and youth groups like the National Honor Society that come together to care for the grounds.”
For information regarding membership, meetings and volunteer opportunities, contact Katie Grossman at one–ktgrossman@yahoo.com with the Vicksburg Lions Club or club president David Aubry at daubry@yahoo.com with the Rotary Club of Vicksburg.
