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Volunteers finish improvements to north Wichita parkSep 25, 2011 (The Wichita Eagle - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- THE WICHITA EAGLE WICHITA -- Nearly 60 telecommunications volunteers spent Sunday afternoon putting the finishing touches on a campaign that began more than a year ago to spruce up North Woodland Park. The volunteers planted trees, watered and mulched, and took in food for the needy. Their campaign began with $42,000 in grant money and an additional $5,000 in donations to build a family picnic shelter and new walks, and install six picnic tables, three park benches and a barbecue grill for the park at 21st and Arkansas. The family shelter was completed this summer along with the walks. "My hope is that it brings the community together," said Cheri Jones, president of the Kansas Chapter AT&T Pioneers, which organized and championed the project. "We hope it gives the neighborhood a place to gather and a place for the generations to mix." Jones said the group did the project in celebration of the AT&T Pioneers' centennial year.Jones said that since its founding, the Kansas Pioneers group has worked each year on projects to help local com-munities. This project is one of the largest it has undertaken. In the past, the telecommunications telephone employees and retirees have conducted projects including Easter egg hunts and donating toy bears to sheriff's departments to give children in troubled situations. "But because it was the 100th anniversary, the Pioneer foundation made $500,000 of grants available," Jones said. "We partnered with the city of Wichita to maximize our fund." The North Woodland Park project was one of 21 projects across North America funded through the Pioneers Volunteer Community Grant Program, Jones said. The North Woodland Park project, Jones said, received the largest single donation under the program. Volunteers at the park on Sunday also collected donations for the Kansas Food Bank. Reach Beccy Tanner at 316-268-6336 or [email protected]. Copyright 2011 The Wichita Eagle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ___ (c)2011 The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.) Visit The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.) at www.kansas.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |