Homeless shelter takes on maintenance of West Marysville park, celebrates with ribbon cutting
Community members, local organizations and city officials gathered at West Marysville's Motor Park yesterday morning to celebrate another successful Adopt-A-Park project.
Aaron Walrath is the Executive Director of Twin Cities Rescue Mission, a non-profit organization that shelters and provides various services to unhoused men. He and his organization "adopted" Motor Park at 14th and H streets, taking responsibility for revitalizing it through regular cleanups and improvements.
"We came down here and saw the basketball court had graffiti all over it and cuss words," Walrath said. "And the main goal was to make this park livable for families to come back out here."
Marysville's Adopt-A-Park Program was established "in an effort to enhance the quality of [the] parks," according to an official City of Marysville document on the program. Businesses, non-profits, families, schools, government entities or faith-based groups can apply to adopt their own park and partner with the city to rejuvenate it.
City Manager Jim Schaad said the main goal of the program is to bring community members back to the city's parks.
"The real impact is...to draw people to use the park, particularly families and youth," Schaad said. "That's what the park's for. People don't want to come to a park that is unwelcoming, unkept."
Twin Cities Rescue Mission's coalition of volunteers, comprised of both housed and unhoused Marysville residents, have improved the appearance of the park by clearing trash, cleaning graffiti, trimming trees and more, Walrath said.
Additionally, Walrath said he has already seen positive community response to his efforts, as more families and kids have been visiting the park. He hopes this positive attention will inspire residents to view homeless individuals with greater compassion.
"When they see [our shelter's residents wearing] the vests that say 'Twin Cities Rescue Mission' on the back, I want them to say, 'Hey, give that guy a chance. He needs a job,'" Walrath said.
Scott Williams is one individual who has been impacted by Twin Cities Rescue Mission. He said he has spent decades homeless in Marysville. He's grateful to now receive services at the shelter and often volunteers with their clean up projects.
"It gives me an opportunity to give back," Williams said. "I spent so long living on the edge of society."
City Councilmember Stuart Gilchrist praised the organizations that renewed Motor Park.
"I am very proud of the Twin Cities Rescue Mission and Marysville Public Works for bringing forth yet another successful Adopt-A-Park program," Gilchrist said.
