Posted on Sat, May. 01, 2010 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints members help beautify Comstock Elementary School in Allapattah BY MARGARITA SWEETING The Miami Herald The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints held its second annual Day of Service on April 24, bringing together more than 2,000 volunteers to landscape and clean areas in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, including Comstock Elementary School in Allapattah. Teams of volunteers gave the school a colorful new look, planting marigolds, purple Petunias, yellow daisies and other flowers. ``We are all responsible for our community,'' said Comstock Principal Deborah Wilson. ``So to have entities like this come and volunteer their time and effort to the school is vital. We can't always set aside money to buy flowers. It's not at the top of the list. But this is so important. When the parents see it, they love it, and it's very welcoming for the students.'' The church had congregations from Miami Lakes, Sunny Isles, El Portal, Flagler and Miami Beach, as well as missionaries from Texas and Ohio helping. Together they planted the flowers around the school marquis and in the butterfly garden.

``This is so important to us. We want to be an example of the savior, of helping and of being a service to the community,'' said Tony Burns, church elder in charge of Miami, Orlando and Tampa. ``We can be better individuals when we do that.'' Not only are the volunteers helping the community, but they are also training their children. ``They have to know how important it is to keep everything clean. When they're eating and drinking, they know where to throw their trash,'' said Maura Rocha, who brought her daughters, Dreissy and Asmery, 8. ``We were here planting plants, pulling out weeds, shoveling; it's a lot of fun,'' said Dreissy. Asmery added, ``There's too much pollution. The garbage goes into the water. Then, it hurts the sea turtles and the humpback whales.''

In addition to the work at Comstock, the group also cleaned up an area from Northwest 11th to 17th avenues and from 21st to 23rd streets. In Broward, church volunteers also rebuilt picnic tables and repaired barbecues at Tree Tops Park in Davie. According to Burns, this day involves anywhere from 50,000 to 75,000 volunteers in 14 states. The volunteers are not only church members but also participants in other community agencies. Some organizations the church partnered with include the Broward Partnership for the Homeless, Cooperative Feeding Program, Hope Outreach Center, Community Blood Centers of South Florida, Rebuilding Together of Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, and the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints held its second annual Day of Service on April 24, bringing together more than 2,000 volunteers to landscape and clean areas in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, including Comstock Elementary School in Allapattah. Summary Lead Who – Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints What – Had 2 nd annual day of service When – April 24, 2010

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints held its second annual Day of Service on April 24, bringing together more than 2,000 volunteers to landscape and clean areas in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, including Comstock Elementary School in Allapattah. Where – Miami Dade and Broward counties Why – To landscape and clean How – With volunteers

Margarita Sweeting Period 1 August 23, 2010 Miami Herald, Date Current events Who What When Where Why How Opinion (1 paragraph) – I think what they did was nice but I think the story was boring. It was too long. Maybe the writer could have said what she wanted in less space. Also, I don’t understand why this was news. What was so special about it.