Local Teens Spruce Up Fairyland

Submitted by Marielle Daquioag

Oakland, California – Faith, trust and pixie dust. Well known in the fairy tale world, this phrase applied itself to the real world this past Saturday.

For the seventh year in a row, 100 teenagers from the Catholic Confirmation Program visited Oakland Children’s Fairyland. However, instead of sprinkling the elusive fairy dust, these teens spread compost, swung a hammer, and broke a sweat to help bring back the shine to the 62-year-old institution.

This group of St. Anne youth is preparing to receive the sacrament of confirmation, a rite of initiation in the Roman Catholic Church. St. Anne's youth minister Jim Soltau feels it is important to give something back, "We cannot always be on the receiving ends of things, and the opportunity to make a difference is one we need to instill in all of us. It isn't just about the 'feel good' atmosphere that comes from serving, it's also about realizing that we are blessed and those blessings are passed on by our actions."

In addition to volunteering their weekend, the St. Anne Youth also fundraised $2,000 to donate to the non-profit park. “We plan for St. Anne’s visit all year long! The kids are so enthusiastic and dedicated—and they accomplish major projects in just one day that would take our small staff weeks to complete,” commented Fairyland’s executive director, C.J. Hirschfield.

On April 14, the youth divided into seven teams to complete tasks around the park. They refurbished and restored fences, benches and tables. They cleaned and weeded around the park, reorganized the reading room and paint shed, and built and painted new stanchions.

"It was great to see all the students really working together while performing their service projects. I was very happy to see that they were also having a good time while doing so," said Annie Wong, Fairyland's Art & Restoration Director.

An appreciative Hirschfield expressed how the cherry blossom trees planted the previous year had become “a beautiful symbol of a tradition of giving that benefits the tens of thousands of kids who visit Fairyland every year.”

Soltau hopes that the work inspires others in another way, "I think the impact of seeing young people performing a service for the community of Fairyland is a message for the people visiting that day.  We've always gotten very positive comments when adults see the young people at work, smiling, laughing and having the positive energy youth typically do."

Fairyland has few resources and a long wish list. If you are interested in volunteering or donating, please visit http://www.fairyland.org/support_fairyland/support_fairyland.htm.

About Children's Fairlyand:

A non-profit organization, Children’s Fairyland is the oldest storybook theme park in America. Since 1950, Fairyland is renowned for stimulating children’s imaginations, creativity and desire to learn through multi-cultural and multi-lingual programs, including fairytales, sets, play-acting, storytelling, reading and animals.
Visit www.fairyland.org.

About St. Anne Catholic Church:

St. Anne is one of the largest parishes in the Oakland Diocese, but maintains a friendly, small-town atmosphere. St. Anne is located in Union City, California, a suburb of the San Francisco Bay Area. St. Anne was founded in 1860 and the original church was built in the old Alvarado District (as the area was known before its charter as Union City). Our new church was built in 1983. Union City is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse communities in Northern California and St. Anne reflects this diversity. Families, friends, and visitors are welcome to celebrate in our Mass as well as participate in the many activities and parish organizations.

For more information, visit http://saintannecatholic.org.