Renewable energy company Drax has partnered with United Way of Northeast Louisiana (NELA) Young Leaders United group to sponsor a $1,000 refurbishment of Kiroli Park’s Born Learning Trail after it was damaged by recent storms.
The Born Learning Trail is an interactive walking trail to help parents, caregivers and communities provide quality early learning opportunities for young children. The trail is filled with colorful signs to help children get active as they learn about plants, flowers, birds and trees.
Volunteers with Young Leaders United replaced four signs on the trail that had been damaged, cleaned the remaining signs, and painted different parts of the trail to make it more inviting to visitors to Kiroli Park in West Monroe, Louisiana.
Brittany Myers, Drax’s Deputy General Counsel North America and Young Leaders United board member, said: “I’m very passionate about their mission because I can see the positive impact the organization has in my local community, especially around education and health for children and their families.”
Allyson Sager, United Way NELA Resource Development Manager, said: “The Born Learning Trail at Kiroli Park offers an active and fun learning experience for children and families. I loved working on the trail and I’m looking forward to taking my kids there very soon.
“Members of United Way of Northeast Louisiana’s Young Leaders UNITED were thrilled to partner with Drax Biomass to refresh the Born Learning Trail at Kiroli Park. We are excited for the opportunity to provide ways for children to be active outdoors, to engage with their caretakers, and to have fun while learning.
“Drax is an incredible partner to UWNELA, and this is just the of the many ways Drax has supported United Way’s efforts to help children succeed in school and in life. We are so grateful for the support and for the amazing volunteers who made this effort possible.”
Lucy Doll, Young Leaders United volunteer, said: “The Born Learning Trail is such a great way to encourage children to get out into nature and the interactive signs give them a way to learn more about their environment. For me, being part of the refurbishment was so rewarding – it’s great to give children a fun, bright place to explore their surroundings.”
Young Leaders United aims to develop skills, knowledge and closer ties with United Way NELA so as to cultivate future volunteer leaders of the organization and its community partners.
Jamie Worley, Young Leaders United volunteer, said: “When the Covid pandemic left me unemployed, I wanted to find a way to give back to the community and the Young Leaders United group has been a great way to do that.
“They give us volunteers a way to do something worthwhile and do things that matter. I was able to get out and give back to my community because of Drax and the United Way of Northeast Louisiana.”
Drax is committed to supporting the communities local to its operations and is this year drawing up plans for a more targeted community spend.