National Scholastic Journalism Week highlights volunteer opportunities with this year’s theme, ‘Dedicated to Our Communities’. As voices of the FC student body, Feather staffers cover opportunities to volunteer around our community.
Many of this week’s featured locations have been supported by FC Serve Day in past years. This spotlight is dedicated towards service opportunities available at Discovery Center.
Before the center was built for educational and community purposes, it belonged to the Roessler family. The land was a winery of Estella Blanca Vineyards in the late 1800s but later closed due to the Prohibition Act in 1918. With the land, Fresno donated it to become Reedy Park.
Decades later in 1954, The Fresno Jr. Museum of Science and Natural History was established and later changed to Discovery Center after the museum and education part was added.
With their recources to teach students and the community more about science and Fresno culture, the staff’s goal is to create, “community-based educational history and science center offering the children and citizens hands-on learning experiences to stimulate passion, curiosity and wonder for the sciences and our environment.”
The organization aims to create an enviroment for student’s to learn through hands-on projects. They have a trail along the five acres of land filled with a garden park called Deutsch Cactus Garden and a museum about Fresno culture.
With a large amount of land, volunteers are important to maintain the property. Adult volunteers help lead tours and set up and take down decorations for events.
Student volunteers impact the center with trail clean up, weeding, pruning and other park beautification projects.
Along with FC students working at the Discovery Center on Serve Day, the high school varsity baseball team also volunteer. They were able to level uneven ground which took about three hours to complete the task.
Students are encouraged to sign up at the Discovery Center, not only on Serve Day but on their own time as volunteers.
An example of student volunteers is Roosevelt High School Ecology Club. Once a month on Thursday’s from 3 p.m.- 5 p.m., they help around the park with beautification tasks.
For more information on how to serve visit: Volunteer | The Fresno Discovery Center. To find out details on student serving contact Volunteer Coordinator Domenic Ortiz at [email protected].
For more Feather photos, visit media, photos 2018-19
