Warmed by the camaraderie often found through community service, nearly 20 members of 100 Black Men of Syracuse and youth from the organization’s manhood training program pitched in Sept. 10 to help clear brush and debris from Kirk Park on the city’s south side. The project marked the second consecutive year the 100 has joined forces with other volunteers brought together by Women Transcending Boundaries for the group’s annual Acts of Kindness Weekend. Over several hours, the men and teens sliced, tugged, pulled and dragged overgrown tree branches, weeds and vines, as well as litter hidden along a park fence near Onondaga Creek, to a large makeshift mound that consumed four parking spaces. Rakes, lopping shears, a chain saw or two and even a machete aided their cause.
The project follows a busy summer that began with the 100 Black Men sponsorship of the Winston Gaskin Community Walk for Wellness in June. In July, members led sessions on life skills for the month-long Youth Impact Program held at Syracuse University. A series of six low-cost public yoga classes followed in July and August. In late August, members of 100 Black Men of Syracuse donned aprons and flipped hamburgers and hot dogs at a “Welcome Back” picnic for students, parents and staff returning to Percy Hughes Elementary School. Earlier in the month, they rewarded youth in the manhood training program by exchanging a few strikes, gutter balls and laughs during an afternoon outing at a local bowling alley.
“Our involvement in the Acts of Kindness Weekend and our activities during the summer prove community service doesn’t have to be so serious all the time,” said 100 Black Men of Syracuse president Vincent Love. “There can be an element of social interaction, relationship building, even fun, that go beyond the personal satisfaction you receive from giving back to your community. ”
Related links
- Photo gallery —100 Black Men of Syracuse at Kirk Park
- Acts of Kindness Weekend article with video (Post-Standard, 9/11/11)
- 100 Black Men Clean Up Park video (Southside Stand, 9/29/11)
- Yoga class series article with video
