DOINews: DOI Employees Volunteer in D.C. Public Schools Annual Beautification Day

						Scotty Fox, OS, works on landscaping at C. Melvin Sharpe Health School. Photo by Brenda Woods, OS.
						Alexandra Ritchie, BOEM, picks up weeds at Ross Elementary School. Photo by event volunteer.
						Lorrie Loving, BLM, waters flowers at C. Melvin Sharpe Health School. Photo by Brenda Woods, OS.
						Michael Gale, OS, collects trash at C. Melvin Sharpe Health School. Photo by Brenda Woods, OS.
						Brenda Woods, OS, plants flowers at C. Melvin Sharpe Health School. Photo by Lorrie Loving, BLM.
						Nikole Tucker, USFWS, sifts mulch at Ross Elementary School. Photo by Alexandra Ritchie, BOEM.

On Saturday, August 24, several Department of the Interior employees participated in the D.C. Public Schools Annual Beautification Day of service. The event assists the schools with various tasks to improve their external and internal appearance before the first day of school. DOI volunteers assisted with painting, planting flowers, picking up trash, landscaping and other activities at two of the DOI partner schools, C. Melvin Sharpe Health School and Ross Elementary School. This is the third year that DOI participated in this event at C. Melvin Sharpe Health School.

DOI employees from the Office of the Secretary and bureaus who participated in the event included:

• Michael Gale, director, Office of Youth, Partnerships and Service;

• Nikole Tucker, international affairs specialist, Division of International Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;

• Alexandra Ritchie, program analyst, Office of Policy, Regulation and Analysis, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management;

• Scotty Fox, property management specialist, Office of Facilities and Administrative Services;

• Lorrie Loving, program and management assistant, Division of Evaluations and Management Services, Bureau of Land Management;

• and Brenda Woods, program manager, Educational Partnerships Program.

After participating in the activities, DOI volunteers shared their enthusiasm and support to this day of service. “There's no better way to kick start your Saturday morning then participating in a community project alongside happy volunteers, proud parents, and giggling school kids," Ritchie said. "I was happy to represent the Department of Interior during this day of service."

Tucker added, “D.C. beautification day is always an amazing experience. Teachers, parents, and the community are very appreciative of time taken to “beautify” their school. It's also a great opportunity to network and meet new people. I really enjoyed it.”

“I loved having the opportunity to give back to the community and to be a good neighbor. We should always make time to help pay it forward to the next generation,” Gale said.

Fox said, “It was a great feeling doing something for the kids at the Melvin Sharpe Health School.”

DOI has an ongoing educational partnership with C. Melvin Sharpe Health School and Ross Elementary School. C. Melvin Sharpe Health School is a public school with a special education program that provides instructional and therapeutic services for students from ages 3 through 21 with multiple disabilities. Ross Elementary School is a public school that serves students from Preschool through 5th grade.

For additional information about the Educational Partnerships Program and volunteer opportunities, contact Brenda Woods, program manager, at 202-208-3617 or via email brenda_woods@ios.doi.gov.

By: Brenda Woods, program manager, Educational Partnerships Program, OS
Sept. 12, 2013