Hundreds gather for Redlands Community Day of Service to beautify Sylvan Park

Although volunteer Scott Reading doesn’t feel like he did much for the 16th annual Redlands Community Day of Service, he summed up the experience perfectly:

“All these ‘not muches’ add up to something pretty cool.”

Reading was one of more than 400 volunteers who spent Saturday morning planting trees, cleaning up the rose garden, laying sod, painting a picnic area, sprucing up the horseshoe pits, and repairing the walkway at Sylvan Park. The annual Community Day of Service draws volunteers from local service organizations, schools, churches, and the city to beautify and maintain public spaces throughout Redlands.

This year’s event wasn’t without its challenges. Rain earlier in the week made preparations trickier for city crews getting the park ready, but by Saturday, the weather was perfect, many volunteers said.

Mayor Mario Saucedo moved from project to project, greeting and thanking those who showed up to help.

“This will really help out our parks crew—improving cart paths and walking paths, planting trees, upgrading the horseshoe pits, and fixing up the baseball diamond,” he said. “I’m happy to have one site and delighted to have everybody out here.” He was especially pleased to see Sylvan Park getting a refresh ahead of its next major community event, the Fourth of July celebration.

Other city officials echoed his enthusiasm.

“If someone were to ask me what Redlands is all about, it’s days like this, where so many people who care about the community volunteer to make it a better place to live,” said City Manager Charlie Duggan.

Council Member Paul Barich agreed.

“It’s a fantastic community builder for any city,” he said.

Families, from grandchildren to grandparents, worked side by side, socialized, and then enjoyed hamburgers and hot dogs provided by the Noon Kiwanis Club. Teenagers found old friends or made new ones as they teamed up to set backboards for the horseshoe pits at the southwest corner of the park.

Timothy Neira, a member of The Pit Bosses—a local horseshoe club—was among those working on the pits with his brother.

“We enjoy this park,” he said, adding that his group has hosted and participated in many horseshoe tournaments throughout the Inland Empire.

Monique Foley and her family painted a smaller picnic area.

“It looks a lot better!” she said. “We left it nice and clean!”

Martha Hermanson helped lay sod while her three children bounced between her and her husband.

“I love the food drive and the Community Day of Service,” she said.

Jacob Moore, who helped plant trees with a group of high school friends, reflected on the impact of their work.

“There isn’t anything more gratifying than working with members of your community on projects that help others,” he said. “I like to think that I’m planting a tree that will live for a long time for future generations to enjoy.”

Elyse Valentino and her three children raked the rose garden, where gardeners had pruned overgrown bushes earlier in the week. Nearby, Melissa Tyler was helping smooth out the walking path on the east side of the park.

“I wanted to do good for the world,” she said.

Henk Fischer, president of the California Redlands Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, echoed Mayor Saucedo’s sentiments.

“I love the fact we’re in one location this year. It’s fun to be together in one place,” he said.

Duggan emphasized the collaborative effort that makes the event possible.

“No one group is solely responsible, but without any one of the groups, this wouldn’t happen,” he said.