Part of First Lady Maria Lee’s Monthly Service Challenge

Tennessee State Parks will host volunteer events in September as part of First Lady Maria Lee’s Monthly Service Challenge through her Tennessee Serves initiative.

“There are many ways to serve, and our parks are providing great ways to participate in this effort,” First Lady Lee said. “We are grateful to all Tennesseans who are putting their time and energy into serving others.”

“We appreciate the first lady’s commitment to service and we are eager to do our part,” Jim Bryson, deputy commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, said. “Tennessee is the Volunteer State, and there are a lot of opportunities to serve in Tennessee State Parks.”

Individual parks will host service opportunities for all ages and skill levels. Those may include activities such as landscaping, invasive plant removal, litter pickup, and trail maintenance.

In May, the first lady launched Tennessee Serves to encourage Tennesseans to serve one another and volunteer in their communities. The three-part initiative includes serving Tennesseans across the state with a special focus on distressed counties; highlighting people and organizations already making a difference; and mobilizing Tennesseans to meet community needs. Each month, the first lady announces a new service challenge as motivation for Tennesseans to serve their neighbors in different ways.

For more information about plans at Tennessee State Parks visit https://tnstateparks.com/get-involved/volunteering.

For more information about the first lady’s Tennessee Serves program, please visit https://www.tn.gov/firstlady/tennessee-serves.html.