Church members throughout Utah rolled up their sleeves, sharpened their shovels and waged an assault on grit and garbage as they helped clean up the state during "Take Pride in Utah Day" on May 13.
Many of the work projects - some having been started several weeks previous to the May 13 date designated by Gov. Mike Leavitt as part of the Beehive State's centennial celebration - were done in conjunction with other community groups, religious faiths, or under the direction of civic leaders to best meet local clean-up and fix-up needs.Efforts ranged from planting, weeding and scrubbing in cemeteries, parks and outside Church meetinghouses, to picking up litter alongside highways and assisting property owners with specific needs.
In a Jan. 12 letter to priesthood leaders, the First Presidency had encouraged "all members of the Church in Utah to participate as citizens in local community clean-up and fix-up efforts. We invite individuals, families, youth groups, auxiliary organizations, and priesthood quorums to give enthusiastic support toward beautification of the state.
"We are also asking that each ward in Utah have a special Centennial project in their local community. Such projects will provide meaningful volunteer service opportunities for our members to contribute as citizens to the spirit of the Utah Centennial celebration by assisting in community improvement."
Presidencies of the Utah North and Utah South areas also wrote letters to local priesthood leaders encouraging full participation.
According to Stephen M. Studdert, chairman of the Utah Statehood Centennial Commission and president of the Highland Utah East Stake, more than 1 million hours of labor will have been donated between May 13 and May 20 in clean-up projects statewide.
"Citizens of Utah once again demonstrated their extraordinary devotion to community as tens of thousands across Utah turned out to make the state sparkle," he said. "We express particular appreciation to the Latter-day Saints of Utah who, along with others, were exemplary in their citizenship and participation in this statewide clean-up effort."
An example of an effective effort that did much good was the project of the Richfield Utah Stake in the central part of the state, under the direction of Pres. Glen W. Ogden.
About 650 stake members participated in clean-up efforts despite cool temperatures and the threat of rain, which has besieged most of the Beehive State for the past several weeks. In fact, inclement weather right up until May 13 forced rescheduling of some "Take Pride in Utah" projects due to excessive wetness and mud. But in Richfield and elsewhere, Mother Nature was kind enough to cooperate, allowing clean-up plans to reach fruition.
When Pres. Ogden went outside that Saturday morning, however, he wasn't too optimistic. "It was 36 degrees on our thermometer, and I was afraid nobody would show up," he said.
The stake presidency had asked each of the seven wards in the stake to mount a four-fold effort over a period of several weeks, according to Pres. Ogden.
First, everyone was asked to clean and fix up their own homes and yards; second, ward members were to assist widows and the infirmed with projects around their homes and properties; third, ward leaders were asked to each take one of the seven Church-owned buildings in the stake and to have them cleaned and shined them from "top to bottom"; and fourth, ward members were asked to participate in a significant community project of some sort, working together with fellow ward members and others.
"We decided to put forth a major effort, and we were very pleased with what took place," Pres. Ogden said. "To see the participation that there was on a cold, damp day was very gratifying. It turned out better than I had anticipated." He said the bishops reported 1,889 hours of donated labor.
Pres. Ogden noted that several of the wards, four of which are outside of Richfield in smaller rural communities, have made ongoing commitments to help with civic efforts throughout the year to maintain parks and clean canal banks, foothills along highways and the like. Roadways into each of the communities were besieged by armies of LDS volunteers picking up trash on May 13. "I rode around those highways and they showed the effort," he said. "Loads and loads of trash were hauled off."
The stake president also said that Church buildings sparkled after they were cleaned. "Every window was washed inside and out, all of the woodwork was oiled, and every area of those seven buildings was cleaned and scrubbed. The one thing I enjoyed so much was seeing many of the Primary children and youth participating, out with their shovels or washing walls. This was a great teaching opportunity for them and for everyone who participated."
After the work was done, each of the wards conducted a barbecue or dinner of some kind, providing food and fun for participants.
Church members in other parts of the state also made worthwhile contributions. In the Salt Lake Valley, Bishop D. Kim Hansen of the Walnut Hills Ward, Kearns Utah West Stake, led a group of ward members in cleaning up around the ward meetinghouse and in preparing a values garden area for the ward young women. In that project, as in Richfield, children and youth were also willing participants.
In Moab, in the southeastern part of the state, David Olsen, community development coordinator for the city, saw up close the benefits of effective clean-up projects as both a volunteer and from his position with the city. Brother Olsen, elders quorum president in the Moab 3rd Ward, Moab Utah Stake, said that due to the area's warm climate, MOAB (Make Our Area Beautiful) Day was conducted April 8, with follow-up efforts continuing into May.
Varsity Scouts from Church-sponsored units helped the Rotary Club build a tree deck in the city's Rotary Park. Children and youth also helped clean the park.
Church members also worked with others in the community to build a small man-made creek bed in the park, digging the channel with a backhoe, fine-tuning it with a "chain-gang" of people using shovels and hoes, and spreading three truckloads of cobblestone in the channel and along the banks.
After the creek bed was completed, a heavy-duty 500-pound xylophone, constructed by a local musician, was placed across it on a platform, allowing park visitors to hop up and play a tune or two. Brother Olsen said the unique project has been well-received and generated many favorable comments.
Volunteers also painted restrooms and planted 30 large trees in the park, while the youth painted booths that were used for the second part of the community's "Take Pride in Utah" celebration May 6. On that date, a "July 4th" type of day at the park was conducted with contests, races, booths, a dunking machine, a tug-of-war, square dancing, singing and dancing groups and "tons" of donated free food including barbecued buffalo, hot dogs and chili. The chili and pies were made by Relief Society sisters in Moab.
"We had more food than we could eat," said Brother Olsen. "We wanted to foster a closer `small-town' feeling in Moab with the clean-up effort and the May 6 celebration. I think we accomplished that goal."