As a small, Richmond-based business, it’s critical for us to play a part in our community’s improvement and beautification. That’s why we recently took part in a volunteer opportunity to help clean up Pony Pasture Park on the James River.
At James River Construction (JRC)
A major part of the culture at JRC is embodied in two words: “Be Kind.” For us that means being kind to our customers, employees, trade partners, and also to our community as a whole.
As a small, Richmond-based business, it’s critical for us to play a part in our community’s improvement and beautification. That’s why we recently took part in a volunteer opportunity to help clean up Pony Pasture Park on the James River.
Our amazing team of JRC and Rich Ideas volunteers
We did this alongside our friends at Rich Ideas and with the help of Matthew Mason at the James River Park System within the Parks and Recreation department at the city of Richmond. We chose Pony Pasture as our location not only because of its proximity to our office, many of us drive over the river and past this park on a daily basis to and from work. It’s one of the most popular parks in the city, which, unfortunately, also means it has some of the worst litter.
Matthew Mason of the James River Park System gives us the low down on litter.
What we found out in the process is that the James River Park System is managed by a small team of just three full time people, and keeping every inch of this 600 acre, expansive group of parks clean isn’t a task they can take on alone. During the pandemic lock downs, outdoor activities and local parks became a sort of safe haven and escape for lots of people. This was an unexpected upside to the epidemic. But along with that increased use, came increased wear and tear on the parks, including litter and property damage. That’s why they are always looking for volunteers to help out. Matthew said that “Unfortunately a lot of volunteer efforts are cleaning up trash and painting over graffiti – which really shouldn’t be an issue.”
So, on June 17th, over 20 JRC and Rich Ideas team members showed up at Pony Pasture Park where we ate lunch together, got to know the Parks and Rec team and then got down to work. According to the P&R team, we were able to get about two estimated hours of work done in just one thanks to our team’s gusto! We collected over 20 bags of trash – mostly beer cans, cigarette butts, plastic bottles and food wrappers.
We collected over 20 bags of trash in just a few of the 600 acres of total parkland
It was a beautiful day and made for great team building, general exercise and time outdoors. JRC team member Ann Gooch said, “In speaking with the members of our team the feeling of fulfillment was unanimous throughout. It was nice to be a part of something bigger than JRC. It was nice to see the faces of our neighbors out in the community that we are honored to serve in.”
In general, Matthew says “The community itself loves the river and wants to do anything they can to help. That’s why we try to maintain open communication with the public to give them these opportunities to take some ownership of the park.” Matthew said that they host volunteer groups of any size and type, from large corporate teams to girl scout troops to church groups.
Even if you’re just an individual who wants to get involved, you can sign up for a volunteer opportunity through the volunteer page on the James River Parks System’s website or through HandsOnRVA.org. There are opportunities to get involved nearly every Saturday and Wednesday.
If cleaning up litter isn’t your thing, there are many other ways to support the parks including spreading mulch, painting, removing invasive plants and species, trail maintenance and even landscaping one of the many city-owned cemeteries. These types of activities are especially needed in the summer months when parks see the most use.
Anyone can get involved in helping keep the river and its parks clean!
We want to thank Matthew Mason and the Richmond Parks and Recreation Department for helping us coordinate and take on this fun and fulfilling project. We’re excited to take on our next community support project, and maybe next time with even more family and friends!