Updated: 11/1/2008 8:50:16 PM
Thousands of people spread out across Knoxville Saturday, working separately, but for one common goal.
It was all part of an effort called "Serving Knoxville As One." More than 2,000 people from about 40 different churches and organizations worked on around 250 different community service projects.
"Our community here in Knoxville, as wonderful as it is in many ways, we really need something that's going to pull us together as a community, and I don't know of any better way to do that than asking people to serve together," said David Crocker, the executive director of Operation Inasmuch, the umbrella organization for the Serving Knoxville project.
At one site Saturday, volunteers planted trees and spruced up the landscaping outside Green Magnet School.
Meanwhile, inside the school, volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters decorated the teachers lounge and painted a mural on the office wall.
"I think they're gonna think, 'wow, that's amazing, those guys did good,'" said Little Sister Jadelynn Herman of the reaction she hopes her mural will get.
She learned a few painting tips from her artistically talented Big Sister Angela Lopez. But Lopez hopes she'll take away an even more important lesson, too, about the importance of community service.
"The younger they start, the more impact they're going to have on society because they're going to be adults in a few years, and you need better people like that out there," Lopez said.
Across town at Fountain City Park, Central High School football players dug in to help, getting an early start after a big win Friday night.
"I think it's a great thing to come out here and help people, it just helps the community that gives back to you," said Wyl McMillan, the team's quarterback.
The players said they were especially eager to help the community after the support they were given after the deadly shooting at their school.
"These kids that are helping here don't realize the whole scheme of the thing that Fountain City, and actually all of Knoxville, really got a good boost in the arm (Saturday) morning," said John Wolfenbarger, whose son plays on the foot ball team.
The players pulled weeds, picked up trash and replanted flowers at the park. It was all part of a huge effort that the project organizers are proud of and hope will continue.
"There are people here who care and are willing to give of themselves, to give of their time, if necessary, to give of their money in order to help people in need," Crocker said. "They just need to know where and how."
