Since the Fourth of July in 1937, young folks and the young at heart have enjoyed a ride on the historic carousel at Chavis Memorial Park in Downtown Raleigh. On a crisp Friday afternoon in November, a group of Wooten volunteers set out to clean up the park to keep it welcoming to all.
CAD Designer Reggie Powell was among those who gave their time. He was impressed by improvements made to the park in recent years.
My kids attended summer camp at Chavis Park when they were little, so it felt good to give back to the community. Seeing the parents and children enjoying their time at the playground made it all seem worthwhile.
— Reggie Powell, CAD Designer, The Wooten Company
Altogether, the team removed north of 100 pounds of trash and debris from the municipal premises.
We got six trash bags total from the park office, so we split up to cover the most ground. One group focused on the creek and greenway side of the park, another joined forces to conquer the sports fields, and a third team covered the perimeter, playground, and parking areas.
— Thomas Madre, AIA, The Wooten Company
The park is named for John Chavis, a Revolutionary War veteran, free Black man, educator, and preacher who died in 1838. A century later, thousands of people attended the dedication which celebrated the first marker to recognize Black history in the North Carolina Historic Marker Program. The park celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2013.
Wooten's Community Involvement Committee has previously coordinated other opportunities for Wooten staff to volunteer, such as a clean-up effort with Raleigh's Adopt a Stream program on Earth Day 2022.