Fleet Week Inspires Historic Park Cleanup

Photo By Justin Pacheco | 161014-N-NU281-141 BALTIMORE (Oct. 14, 2016) Petty Officer 1st Class XXXXX and Students from Carver High School perform beautification projects during a community relations event at Patterson Park during Maryland Fleet Week and Air Show Baltimore. This event provides the people and media of the greater Maryland/Baltimore area an opportunity to interact with Sailors and Marines, as well as see, firsthand, the latest capabilities of today's maritime services. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer Third Class Justin R. Pacheco/Released)  

BALTIMORE, MD, UNITED STATES

10.14.2016

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Justin Pacheco      

Navy Public Affairs Support Element East - (Reserve)

BALTIMORE – As part of the Maryland Fleet Week and Air Show Baltimore, Sailors and local youth took part in a community relations event at the Historic Patterson Park in Baltimore, Oct. 14.

During this event, Sailors worked alongside approximately 120 middle and high school students building picnic tables, picking up trash, pulling weeds out of the park’s gardens and completing many other park improvements.

“I love helping out the community and showing them what the Navy is all about,” said Petty Officer First Class Chantell Wilson, a recruiter at the Navy Reserve Recruiting Station Baltimore. “My favorite part of today has been talking to all the students.”

The event was organized by the Friends of Patterson Park, a non-profit organization formed to promote, protect and advocate for the historic park so that it can be enjoyed for generations to come.

“We were asked to partner Sailors and local students together to do volunteer service in the park,” said Jennifer Robinson, Executive Director of the Friends of Patterson Park. “Seeing the Sailors and the local youth working together and connecting is an exciting opportunity. One of the things that I really love is the carpenters from Carver High School and the Sailors building picnic tables for the park.”

One of the other schools that participated in the community relations event was Hampstead Hill Academy, which is located on the southeast corner of the park.

“We use our park all the time during school,” said Matthew Cobb, an 8th grade science teacher at the academy. “So the fact that students are able to give back to it is really important to us. Our students got to do a diverse assortment of activities and my favorite part of the day was that the students were able to work alongside service men and women to do a great service for our community.”

• Date Taken: 10.14.2016
• Date Posted: 10.15.2016 15:39
• Story ID: 212111
• Location: BALTIMORE, MD, US