Fort LaPlay Porte

By Ashley Witten, La Porte, Indiana

On July 20th, nine associates, Cliff Walsh, Pat Waldo and I took some time in the early morning hours to help re-stain Fort La Play Porte. Volunteers have been the backbone of Fort La Play Porte from its start when it was built by a community-run group called “Friends of Fort La Play Porte.” 150 volunteers built the park over the course of five days in September of 1999.

The morning was beautiful and the weather was nearly perfect. We worked in teams, some people spraying on the stain while others smoothed it out with brushes. That teamwork aspect is what made the experience something memorable for a few of the associates I spoke with. Working hand-in-hand with people from all areas of the facility really created an atmosphere of unity.

This was my first chance to take part in one of these volunteer adventures, and I don’t regret going for an instant. I may have ended up with stain all over my clothes and in my hair, but the reward of seeing how beautiful the façade looked when we were finished was worth it. It felt great to be involved in a long tradition of community support for a place that I, personally, have spent so much time with my own family.