1,100 Volunteers Transform Park City on 9/11 Service Day

When Park City resident Karen Marriott told volunteers they could all be first responders by moving toward those in need, 1,100 people proved her right. They fanned out across the Utah mountain town last Saturday, tackling everything from daycare cleaning to creek restoration, all in memory of September 11th.

The third annual Day of Service kicked off with breakfast and a ceremony at City Park, where law enforcement and first responders gathered alongside the Utah Pipe Band. Then volunteers scattered to 41 local organizations for 44 different projects.

At PC Tots daycare, Executive Director Sue Banerjee found herself overwhelmed with emotion. "To see so many people taking their Saturday morning to support us and our organization, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for the kindness from our community," she said as volunteers scrubbed and cleaned around her.

The day brought together an unexpected mix of helpers. A boys hockey team drove in from Roy, Utah, specifically to clean up the creek at City Park. Twenty-five university students traveled from Utah County to join the effort. Some volunteers simply heard about the event while visiting town and decided to pitch in.

Projects ranged across the community's needs. Volunteers pulled invasive plants at the National Ability Center, completed ranch chores at Wild Heart Sanctuary equine therapy ranch, and wrote encouraging letters to teens aging out of foster care. Others painted over graffiti on historic mining structures near the ski mountain and sorted donated eyeglasses for Hope Alliance.

Nearly 100 volunteers joined former Park City High School student Coen Nelson to clear brush from Poison Creek. At Summit Community Gardens, volunteers tended sunflower beds. Mountainlands received help with mulch projects.

The Ripple Effect

What started as 35 projects two years ago has grown to 44 this year. The expansion shows how one community's commitment to service keeps multiplying, inspiring more organizations to ask for help and more people to offer it.

When afternoon rain rolled in, many volunteers still returned to City Park for pizza and Auntie Em's cookies. Weather couldn't dampen the spirit of people who had already given their Saturday to others.

The organization plans their fourth annual Day of Service for September 11, 2027, and if growth continues, Park City might need even more pizza.