April is National Volunteer Appreciation month and with that, the City of Denton and the Parks and Recreation Department would like to recognize the efforts our citizens have put into helping the community. Since 1991 the month of April has been a time to celebrate and acknowledge the great efforts volunteers across the country have put into helping and serving the communities around them.
Across the entire department, volunteers play a huge role in making the many programs we offer a success. At our recreation centers, volunteers help with after-school tutoring and child watch programs as well as support in keeping the centers clean and the unique programs each center offers running smoothly. Without the help of our many volunteer coaches and the hours they put in, our youth sports leagues would not be able to happen.
One of the largest areas in our department where volunteers help is within our Keep Denton Beautiful initiative. Volunteers are the driving force in making our litter prevention programs like the Great American Cleanup and Adopt-A-Spot successful. Our tree planting events where over 700 trees are given way each year and our beautification and education events like the Denton Redbud Festival happen.
The city of Denton is fortunate to be home to a large array of community partners and individuals committed to improving and helping our city. Through the two Universities, the many Denton ISD schools and student groups, the great businesses and churches, and community groups our department has a wealth of resources to pull from. In 2022 alone, 2,400 volunteers put in over 30,000 hours of service to help the Denton community. The entire Denton Parks and Recreation Department would like to give a sincere thank you to all the volunteers who have helped over the years and that continue to help in the future.