A Year to Volunteer, a nonprofit group dedicated to encouraging RV campers to volunteer at sites across the country, received the National Association of State Parks Directors (NAPD) President's Award for its nationwide service.
The group, known as Y2V for short and led by Phil and Shari Roos of Scottsdale, Ariz., was recognized for its efforts in at least seven states, totaling thousands of hours of service. Examples of work completed included roofing projects, rebuilding boardwalks, and trail improvements.
The award came about after Y2V was nominated by the Indiana DNR Division of State Parks in partnership with six other state park systems that also benefited from its services, including those from Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, and Tennessee.
In Indiana, Y2V did its work at Versailles State Park, named for the Ripley County town near which it is located. In 2020, Y2V completed a 110-foot-long wetland overlook with a 70-foot angled wing for the park's guests to enjoy.
"The work was the equivalent of or better than that of any contractor we might have hired," said Terry Coleman, director of Indiana State Parks.
Shari Roos said even she and her husband were surprised by the degree of success.
"When we set out on our journey in early 2020, we did not expect to have A Year to Volunteer evolve into the organization it is today," she said. "Meeting like-minded RVers who love to travel and give back just made it easy though, and we're so happy to have the opportunity to make a difference with state park systems all around the country!"
Also in 2020, the group removed and replaced 2,000 square feet of flooring in the park's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) group camp mess hall, started work on a gravel trail to the wetland overlook, and painted the exterior of two large buildings and the interior of two cabins. Thirty volunteers contributed more than 1,500 hours over 20 days.
In 2021, the group added Y2V2 to work on smaller projects with fewer people and shorter timeframes. That team returned to Versailles State Park to complete an accessible ramp for the wetland overlook. This year, the group returned to finalize the work, installing 12 culverts and spreading 400 tons of stone in low areas to maintain the appropriate grade, as well as completing a series of other projects.
More information about Y2V is at ayeartovolunteer.com. More about NASPD is at stateparks.org. More about Indiana State Parks is at stateparks.IN.gov. If you have a group that is interested in contributing time or support to Indiana State Parks on this Giving Tuesday or any other time, contact volunteer coordinator Jody Heaston at jheaston@dnr.IN.gov.
Categories: Indiana, Business