“Any community can benefit from some love, from beautification to improvement to generating a sense of belonging and pride.”
For Director Joelle Chinnock and the rest of the Love Paradise volunteer organization, giving back to Paradise through community cleanups and improvements has been a restorative way to help the Town rebuild and recover.
Love Paradise, a volunteer-led organization committed to improving Paradise through community service projects, will do almost anything to make the town look a little brighter. They’re really putting in the effort to, well—love Paradise!
Love Paradise is a partner of the “Love Our Cities” movement, established in 2007 “to love our cities so that our cities will thrive!” In the last 15 years, Love Our Cities has estimated around 1 million volunteer hours have been donated, equivalent to over $32 million dollars in service. They accomplish this in three ways:
- Assisting cities in setting up volunteer days.
- Helping cities implement new initiatives to benefit communities.
- Fostering new relationships between people in the community.
In a nutshell, their goal is for residents to band together and improve their communities. And that’s exactly what Love Paradise members did: in October 2016, they held their first event on Make a Difference Day—a national holiday that encourages people to volunteer in their communities—Love Paradise organized various clean-ups around the town. Many more community cleanups and projects followed thereafter.
“We’re excited to build an even stronger community as we work together for a common cause,” says Chinnock.
Today, Love Paradise continues to support Paradise with projects that work alongside local organizations. Together, they complete projects like planting flowers and weed mitigation in low-cost housing areas. These past partners have included:
- Paradise Unified School District
- Paradise Recreation and Parks
- Rotary Club of Paradise
- Paradise Garden Club
- Rebuild Paradise
- Paradise Stronger
- Paradise Town Government
But the list doesn’t end there. Love Paradise has worked with many other local agencies, churches, and service organizations—it seems everyone comes together to help. Chinnock says that local residents, students, service club members, and even the Air Force Sergeants Association from Beale have joined together to pull weeds and paint playgrounds!
“What would happen if our entire community came together to love Paradise?”
That’s the slogan on Love Paradise’s site. Chinnock seconds that message and urges residents to get involved. “Be a part of the good things happening in Paradise and the good people living here. Joining with like-minded people who are interested in making Paradise a great place to live reaps rewards on many levels.”
Curious about Love Paradise’s projects? You’ve probably seen their work around Town!
- Planting Daffodils at Trailway intersections
- Repairing wooden benches, weeding, raking, and trash pickup along the Trailway
- Painting red curbs and cleaning gutters on Skyway
- Sweeping, cleaning, and painting school bus shelters
- Fuel reduction around town as part of the Chipper Program
- Handing out food boxes to residents
“We’re always looking for projects and welcome new ideas,” says Chinnock. Whether it’s a project that’ll help other residents, clean up part of Paradise, or just add a little extra dose of delight throughout the town, Love Paradise wants to help you make it happen. This way, you and other volunteers can contribute to the community—together.
If you want to get involved with Love Paradise, check out the Chamber of Commerce Events Calendar, the Love Paradise Facebook page, or the Love Paradise Facebook Group. Mark your calendars for their biggest events: Make a Difference Day in October, and Earth Day in April. See you there!
