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Community: Day of Volunteering

These volunteers “give back” to a beloved national treasure, the Smoky Mountains.

In late April, yellow caution tape circled the dogwoods and pines at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park picnic area in Cosby, Tenn. Behind it, Y‑12 volunteers dripped sweat as they wielded chainsaws, hauled logs and anchored tables and grills in concrete. Renovating and creating picnic areas are jobs they have perfected over the past 14 years.

Facilities Maintenance Manager Randy Wegwerth observed, “I don't know too many volunteers who return to a project for 13 and 14 years in a row. People are here today who were here on the first project.”

Y‑12's annual Day of Volunteering deploys hundreds of employees and their families to make a difference at dozens of nonprofit organizations. One long-running team is the Smokies Volunteers, formed by engineer Bob Presley and now led by Project Manager Al Roberson. They tackle tasks that would not otherwise be done, given limited park service personnel and their overcrowded schedules.

Over the years, the Smokies Volunteers have offered their time and muscle to renovate existing areas with recycled materials, to open new sites and to expand visitor facilities. Their work can be seen at some of the busiest areas in the park: the Chimneys and Cades Cove picnic areas, Metcalf Bottoms recreational areas, Twin Creeks Research Center and Cosby.

Before the physical labor begins, the projects are researched to comply with environmental laws and preserve historical artifacts. When volunteers rejuvenated some campsites the Civilian Conservation Corps created in the 1930s, the original firebricks were retained as part of the natural scenery.

Roberson said the group runs on “teamwork and ownership.” As the current project coordinator, he does his homework, plans the project, assigns teams to specific tasks and sweats along with them to complete the job. Faithful volunteer Roy H. ( “Boomer” ) Martin said of Roberson, “He loves to plan, and he loves to sweat.”

Like many East Tennesseans, Martin spent much of his childhood in the park. Now he wants to “give back the happiness I had in the park as a kid and make that available for families.”

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