SitemapChris Keaton celebrated turning 20 first by being in the right place at the right time, then deriving far more pleasure from giving than receiving.
“It’s my 20th birthday and I decided to help,” Keaton, of Youngstown, said. “It worked out perfectly. I feel pretty good to help with this.”
Keaton and several friends were walking on Park Avenue on the North Side when curiosity got the better of him. Specifically, he inquired about what a group of 25 or so people was doing in Wick Park before he became part of Tuesday’s North Side tree-planting event, set up to beautify the storied park and surrounding neighborhoods.
Keaton, who has worked at various restaurants and volunteers at the St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen, extended his volunteer efforts by helping to plant a few berry trees at Park Avenue and Elm Street, the park’s southeast entrance.
Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. partnered with Youngstown CityScape, Youngstown Tree Corp., the city’s parks and recreation department and other entities to plant mostly native trees in the park, as well as at Beatitude House and Fairgreen Neighborhood Garden. A group from Youngstown State University also assisted.
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