• Great Day of Service 2015

Click link to see the to-do list.

This has been a long time in coming. I first went to a prep meeting back in early Spring, and the original date was for just after school let out for the year, but the timing wasn't right so it was bumped to October. Who would have guessed the the Autumn temps would be in the mid '90s.

Still, the heat didn't deter the volunteers. 125 had preregistered and 120 more signed up the day of, for a total of nearly 250. 

First stop of the day is registration and waiver signing.

Shirts and event themed water bottles for everyone.

Next, pick out your T-Shirt.

It was a well organized event and everyone had their stations and work teams. Among the many volunteers were Wildomar city manager Gary Nordquist, assistant city manager Dan York, Mayor Ben Benoit and Mayor Pro-Tem Bridgette Moore.

One of several murals being painted at today's event.

At around 11:30 work was halted and lunch was served. The choice was between several classic sandwiches. I chose the BLT, though they also had PBnJ, and Tuna Fish Salad. I think there was another option, but I didn't choose it, so I also don't remember it. ☺

Among those that spoke during lunch included Tom Pilkington, WE principal Michael Hoffman, Ben Benoit, Bridgette Moore and LEUSD Board Member Stan Crippen.

There was a lot of prepwork, two weeks ago we started here on a Saturday [on the murals]. There's one special lady that has been working and working (this is where the crowd started to cheer for April Watkins and finally coaxed her into going to the front) And it's not just April, it's April and her husband her children. So if you get the team of Tom [Pilkington] and April on your side, this is the amazing day that you get. Thank you so much. (and then she hugged April)

— Bridgette Moore

Mayor Ben Benoit pulled a split shift today. In the morning he was serving breakfast along with the cast from Annie's over at the Relay for Life event at Canyon Hills Middle School, and in the afternoon was serving sandwiches at WE. 

There really were just too many pictures to choose from so let me invite you to watch this three plus minute long video to give you more of a flavor of the day. You'll have to pardon one or two blurry shots... the joys of using a smart phone as a camera.

I asked event organizer, Tom Pilkington, for a recap of the day.

Today was the Great Day of Service. The United Methodist Churches got together with Wildomar Elementary School, the PTA, the staff and the Board of Education (LEUSD) and we completed several projects, we raised $16,000, had about 245 volunteers come out, and we have transformed Wildomar Elementary School with seven murals, a map of the united states [on the blacktop play area], we put up bulletin boards around the campus. We have painted walls and buildings and barns. We're still going to do one more thing, which is installing a 1500 foot running track for the kids, around their playground. We're delighted to be able to do this, showing the hands and feet of Jesus Christ working in the community.

— Tom Pilkington

The track had to be postponed to a time when the kids wouldn't be present, and the company that is contracted doesn't work on Saturdays... so, it'll be done over the Thanksgiving break.

What I enjoyed about the day was that you didn't have to be a member of the church, I'm not, to feel like part of the team. In fact, outside of opening and closing prayers, the only way you might know it was being sponsored by the Methodist Church, or any other church for that matter, is that everyone was courteous to each other. 

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A bottle of water, a tuna fish sandwich, a red shirt and thou...
― Omar Khayyam [had he been in Wildomar today]

Wildomar Rap is pleased to announce free vocabulary lessons for all those that don't know what the idiom "thrown under the bus" means.