Project FLOW (Future Leaders of Water) students from sites in Logan, Lincoln and Kanawha counties will meet for discussions, presentations and community service. AmeriCorps VISTAs and Earlham College volunteers will join students for a fun-packed day of food, creek-wading, and tree planting. Community members of all ages are invited to participate or just come out and watch.
FLOW participants from each site will entertain with presentations on what they've learned about water over breakfast and coffee. Ric MacDowell, Director of the EPA Alternative Wastewater Demonstration Project, will lead a community forum on water and wastewater issues. Attendees will have the chance to express opinions in breakout sessions for adults and children.
Community members and youth will work on service activities in the afternoon, including a stream clean-up and tree planting on stream banks. Travis Cooper, with WVDEP's Make it Shine Program, will provide supplies and coordinate the cleanup. Mark Buchanan, with the Conservation Agency, will donate saplings and direct the tree planting. Teens will also interview senior citizens about local water issues and all participants will share a community lunch.
Project FLOW is a water education program that uses hands-on service learning to introduce environmental concepts, stewardship, and leadership development. This event is funded by a Learn and Serve Project FLOW grant through the West Virginia Commission for National and Community Service and a West Virginia DEP Stream Partners Grant. Participating FLOW sites are the Big Ugly Community Center, Harts Primary, Omar Elementary, and East End Family Resource Center.
The Big Ugly Community Center, near Harts in Lincoln County, has an afterschool program where youth receive meals, homework help, and programs in art, music, recreation and more. Big Ugly also has six weeks of summer programming and special events throughout the year. The center offers a community library, a computer lab with internet to everyone in the community. Please contact Matt Walker at 304-855-5402 or mwalker@stepbystepwv.org for more information about Project FLOW or to learn more about the Community Center's programs.
The Omar After School program runs Monday through Thursday until 5:45 p.m. Students learn about water through Project FLOW, computer skills, global awareness, life skills and entrepreneurship training. They also receive recreation time, a meal and snack. Parents are encouraged to enroll their child after two p.m. Monday-Thursday by contacting Shawn Farmer at 304-946-2660.
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