Of scouting and service

When VHHS Theater Director Alan Gardner needed an “old looking” dog for one of his plays, Sunshine, a mixed mutt from the Shelby County Humane Society, quickly became a part of the production’s thespian family.

Post-production, Gardner’s three children, Walker, a third-grader attending VHEW, Hamilton, an eighth-grader attending Pizitz, and Stuart, a sophomore at VHHS, lobbied their dad to make sure Sunshine became a permanent part of the Gardner household.

“Dad thought she was kind of ugly at first, but by the end of the play, he’d really come to like her,” said Hamilton. “And she is actually a very pretty dog.”

Prompted by their mom, Francie, the Gardner boys began taking Sunshine on weekend hikes around the area, which eventually led to them to connect with Birmingham philanthropist Ken Jackson and his efforts to create Remy’s Dog Park.

“We don’t have a big yard, and Sunshine needs a lot of exercise,” said Walker.

Working with Jackson, the boys received scouting volunteer service hours for the 50-plus hours they collectively spent clearing trees, bushes and bramble along the 6-acre parcel where Remy’s Dog Park now stands.

“I loved that people showed up to volunteer alongside us as a result of what we were doing,” said Hamilton. “People came up to us and said, ‘We are here because we saw you on TV.’ I thought, ‘This is really cool that people see this kid volunteering.’”

For Stuart, the highlight of the experience was getting to know Ken Jackson.

“He’s an amazing man,” said Stuart. “He loves animals, and he had a really fun and dedicated personality.”

For the Gardner boys, the experience has fostered an interest in community volunteerism on its own merits.

Since the grand opening of Remy’s Dog Park, Walker, Hamilton and Stuart have found several other ways to volunteer closer to home, including landscape work around the Wald Park pool, cleaning up the grounds of Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church, and helping maintain the natural hiking paths behind VHEC and the Library in the Forest.

“It’s worth the time,” said mom Francie. “The kids appreciate it so much more when they are involved with whatever they enjoy, instead of just being given it. I think that is probably true of anything. If they pay for part of their trip to Disney, then it means more to them. If they have to work to earn some of their allowance, it is more valuable to them. They feel like it’s a part of them. They’ve contributed, so they are invested, and it’s so worth it.”