Members of the Centerville Rotary Club and Cub Scouts from Pack #530 of Incarnation Parish helped spruce up the Grant Park Nature Nook and Rotary Memorial Evergreen Forest, spreading over 20 yards of mulch. Greg Boerschen coordinated this Cub Scout service project.

The Centerville Community Church on State Route 48 provided 70 volunteers in conjunction with the Love Your City initiative. Jon Biggs coordinated this effort for the church. This group conducted a litter sweep at our seven community parks and mulched many of the landscape beds. This is the second year that the Centerville Community Church has volunteered for the Park District.

The Centerville-Kettering Kiwanis group mulched the Hithergreen Senior Center’s Window on Wildlife and the front entrance to the Grant Park Nature Nook. Forty volunteers worked throughout the day on Saturday, April 16 to complete this project.

The Dayton YMCA’s Youth League conducted the final weekend project. Coordinated by Sarah Caughey, this leadership group donated the plants and landscaped the beds adjacent to the Rotary Shelter at Oak Grove Park in southern Washington Township. Area high school students work on service projects through the YMCA during their junior year.

“It is great to see so many community groups dedicated to helping out in the Park District,” said Ken Carter, Operations Manager at the Centerville-Washington Park District. “Not only do these groups help keep the parks looking great during a season that our staff is busy trying to catch up, they provide a great public service to the community as a whole.”

The following story is from the United Way of the Greater Dayton Area web site: http://www.dayton-unitedway.org

Emmet Roth lives united because he tries. And by trying, he means acting responsibly with the gifts he’s received in his life by giving back to his community. As a volunteer with the Centerville-Washington Park District for the past 10 years, Emmet Roth, also known as “The Tree Man,” is doing just that. Volunteer Connection is pleased to name Emmet as Community Volunteer of the Month for January.

Born and raised in the Dayton region, Emmet earned his degree in Forestry and Park Management from Southern Illinois University. He started out his career as a forester for the State of Illinois, but came back home to Dayton to work for the Ford Motor Company. Although his career path changed, he has carried his love and knowledge of our forests with him ever since and utilized that knowledge to make a difference.

About 10 to 11 years ago, Emmet saw an advertisement for a tree hike put on by the Centerville-Washington Park District. Given his expertise in tree identification and his desire to give back, Emmet called the Park District and asked if there was any way he could help. He has been helping by teaching youth and adults through leading hikes and other tree identification programs at the Park District ever since. In addition to volunteering with the Park District, Emmet also volunteers his time as a guest teacher on forestry and environmental science at Alter High School, Centerville High School, and Weller Elementary School. Emmet does all of this on top of working full-time for the Ford Motor Company.

Emmet uses his love of trees as a vehicle through which he is able to teach people to “learn how to learn” and to think differently. He uses stories, humor, and personal connections in his straightforward approach to teaching. He doesn’t “just give them the answers,” but teaches in such a way that people are able to come to the answers on their own which imparts a lasting knowledge. Kristen Marks of the Centerville-Washington Park District notes that “program participants always walk away with newfound knowledge and respect for our local forests.”

When asked about his philosophy on volunteering, Emmet says “you owe back what you’ve been given.” Emmet’s commitment to using his talents to give back has also been a model for his three children, who also volunteer their talents and time. Emmet says this is one of his greatest accomplishments, and he continues to encourage others to give back as well. United Way’s Volunteer Connection is proud to recognize Emmet “The Tree Man” Roth as Community Volunteer of the Month.