'Green Gloves' Volunteer Their Time in Lake Saint Louis Parks

As part of Patch's "Give 5" program, editors spent five days a year volunteering in their communities. With July 14 designated as a Patch-wide Give 5 day, I thought about where to spend my day.

One of our readers had mentioned the Green Gloves recently, and it sounded like a wonderful opportunity. When I sent an email to Lake Saint Louis Arborist/Horticulturalist Lorri Grueber, she enthusiastically accepted my offer and gave me some background information about the group.

Grueber said that she developed the Green Gloves volunteer group in 2008 through a series of gardening classes offered by Lake Saint Louis, such as Gardening Basics.

The Green Gloves work every Thursday morning, weather permitting, in Lake Saint Louis' parks and planted areas, such as traffic islands. They plant, weed, mulch—helping out the city and learning in the process.

After 20 hours of participation, each Green Glove receives an embroidered shirt. Throughout the growing season, several retailers offer them discounts as a thank-you for their work.

"We try to take two field trips a year to something gardening-related," Grueber said. "We’ve been to Shaw Nature Reserve and The Missouri Botanical Garden. We are currently planning a trip to the new Operation Brightside garden that the Marines recently helped to build."

I spent my day in the delightful company of Ann Finklang, who is also a member of the Green Environmental Advisory Committee. The two of us spread mulch around some young trees in Founders Park.

It was a beautiful morning, and it felt good to be outside, away from my computer, doing some good hard manual labor and getting to see the results. Everyone who drove by waved and smiled, and several park walkers took a moment to stop and tell us how grateful they were for our work. Ann and I set ourselves a goal and I'm proud to say we completed our work.

If you have a few hours to spare on a Thursday morning, consider joining the Green Gloves. They are one of the many reasons to be proud of Lake Saint Louis!