On Father’s Day, Sunday, June 20, 2010, ten families from across the state of VA brought one of their most precious assets, their daughters, to Hungry Mother State Park. The girls will stay in the park for 3 weeks while working with theYouth Conservation Corp a program through Virginia State Parks.
From the DCR Virginia State Park website:
The mission of DCR’s Virginia State Parks Youth Corps (VSPYC) is to engage Virginia’s youth in a structured program of important conservation and park projects on public lands while providing learning that fosters teamwork, self-esteem, social responsibility and respect for the environment.
The program includes three elements united by the types of project, environmental education and adventure programming, and the age of the participants. These are environmental stewardship programs, not summer camps; the young person will work hard, sometimes in difficult conditions including deep mud, hot sun, and mosquitoes and flies
The girls were to arrive by 12:00 noon to begin this journey. Sunday was spent going over program guidelines and team building. Monday, June 21, the girls began the work. An it began with a ½ day orientation. The safety of the girls is always the first priority. The work during these three weeks will vary. Some of the projects include trail work, trash pick-up, lake shore clean-up, staining some of the park facilities, & installing rock armoring. The girls will also participate in park programs and will even have the opportunity to present programs for the park. They will also get to experiencing some of our local attractions such as the state fish hatchery that is operated by the VA Dept of Game and Inland Fisheries, Grayson Highlands State Park, in Mouth of Wilson,.VA and canoeing the New River.
This crew’s stay will end on Saturday, July 10 at 11 am with the official YCC graduation ceremony. They will also be reunited with their families. Each girl will be presented with a certificate, small memorabilia and a check for $500. Most important, they will have made memories that will last a lifetime.
