One Community One Day: Area youth make a difference in Belton
Story and photos by AMY ROGNLIE
“When you help people, you feel better about them and yourself,” said Joe Dyer, Belton recreation superintendent.
On a recent Saturday morning in Belton, 200 players from the Lake Belton High School football team and almost as many softball and track athletes from Belton High School descended upon Heritage and Chisholm Trail parks, ready to work.
Belton’s annual One Community One Day brings volunteers together to assist those in need with various projects throughout the city. From beautification efforts to small repairs and beyond, the goal is to make a meaningful impact on those who give and receive service. One Community One Day came from the Belton Youth Advisory Commission members and has been an annual event in Belton for 15 years.
The goal of the organization is to develop youth leadership through service in local government. These young people learn that they can make a difference in the community, particularly in the lives of their peers.
“One Community One Day is great because it is powered by teenagers, who are getting their first exposure to leadership. We have discovered over the years that the young people who participate in this event are extremely capable. YAC members do most of the recruiting of volunteers. They bring together civic groups, youth groups, families, and individual volunteers, each of which is eager to reduce the burdens of a neighbor. It’s truly one of the best things that happens in Belton every year,” Dyer said.
Student participants echo that sentiment.
“We’re here to help out the community and make it better than it was yesterday,” said Jeremiah Battreall, a junior at Lake Belton High School. “When we’re working together, it feels like family bonding – like we’re getting to know each other better.”
At last year’s event, Battreall and his teammates cleaned up the yard and swept the deck for an elderly Belton resident.
“We do everything the ‘212’ way,” Battreall said. “You know, how water comes to a boil at 212 degrees. Instead of just making it to the ‘boiling point,’ we want to go past that and be better than we were before.”
The number of projects the organization undertakes varies by year, but in general each year they try to serve up to 20 homes. In 2023, they had more than 200 volunteers who worked at more than 20 residences.
Typical jobs include clearing gutters, raking leaves, washing windows and mowing grass. On occasion, volunteers have had the opportunity to paint fences, remove dead limbs or debris and haul off old furniture from a property. The city of Belton partners with volunteer programs, such as the Belton Police Department’s R-U-OK program, to identify people in the community who would benefit from a helping hand.
This year, the LBHS students cleared brush, spread mulch over the trails and picked up trash at Heritage Park. At Chisholm Trail Park, the track team and softball athletes worked on their ongoing project of clearing invasive species from the tree line near Sparta Road, helping to improve accessibility to the area. The sports programs at BHS have officially adopted Chisholm Trail Park, much to the delight of Belton Parks and Recreation.
“The kids are highly motivated,” Dyer said. “They get done in an hour what other groups would do in two.”
The high school coaches are equally enthusiastic, even serving as the bus drivers for the event. “We like to give back to a great community where we can,” said Brian Cope, LBHS campus athletic director and head football coach. “It’s great for kids to have to show up outside of school hours and do something for the community. We want them to not just how to be great football players, but good men, good husbands, and good fathers.”
Anyone can volunteer for the One Community One Day event. Volunteers are high school students looking for service hours, civic groups, school groups, church youth groups, families and individuals.
