Vandergrift group that watches borough's parks looking for more volunteers

A volunteer group committed to promoting kindness, safety and positive play among children in Vandergrift area parks is looking to grow its membership.

The group, called the Vandergrift OWLS Park Supervisor Program, uses volunteers who are dedicated to making sure borough parks are safe and welcoming for the community.

During a recent OWLS — an acronym for observe, walk, listen and serve — outing, co-founders and husband-and-wife team Jody and Kristen Sarno were easy to spot in matching yellow t-shirts emblazoned with large owls.

It didn’t take long for Jody Sarno to strike up a conversation with several youngsters at the park, and soon an impromptu game of catch ensued.

“Sitting down and interacting with the kids — that’s what we do,” said Jody Sarno, who created the group in 2019 in response to what he said was his own children reporting they didn’t like to go to the park because some kids were mean or fighting.

OWLS will host a meet-and -greet event for people 18 and older interested in volunteering July 24 in Kennedy Park, with a goal of recruiting more adult volunteers.

To ensure the safety of all children, volunteers are required to obtain Pennsylvania clearances.

The Sarnos said OWLS will give each volunteer an OWLS t-shirt and, if needed, assist potential members with the clearance process.

“We currently have eight to 10 OWLS, but we can use as many people that are willing to give their time. I’d love to see at least 25 people that can help out on a rotating basis,” Jody Sarno said.

OWLS aims to encourage children to play together without the fear of others bullying, pressuring or being mean.

“Many kids don’t have a positive example in their lives,” Sarno said.

Sometimes OWLS hand out popsicles and cold water to children playing in the park.

Vandergrift mayor Barb Turiak said she appreciates the group’s efforts.

“They’re a great organization, and they’re willing to help the town and do the best they can,” Turiak said.

Volunteers usually “patrol” around each park for an hour or more on weekends and evenings, but Jody Sarno said there’s no set schedule. Volunteers never walk the parks alone and have a minimum of two people walking together during a shift.

OWLS volunteer Melissa Adams of Vandergrift said OWLS are not there to “police” but will call 911 if a situation arises.

“We had to call 911 once, when there was a fight at the basketball courts,” said Adams, a homemaker.

The Sarnos said the goals are to keep an eye on all children’s safety, specifically at Kennedy and Franklin parks.

Vandergrift Council recently approved the installation of 24/7 security cameras in Kennedy Park.

The cameras were installed to help crack down on vandalism and littering.

Simply talking with children, playing catch and just listening to them is a simple yet meaningful activity, the OWLS volunteers said.

“We want to lead by example in showing kindness to others,” Jody Sarno said.

Some children hang out at the park all day until dusk, Sarno said.

“I’ve had kids tell me their parents send them to the park and tell them not to return until it gets dark,” Sarno said.

Adams said the feedback from kids has been overwhelmingly favorable.

“The kids love having someone at the park in a positive adult capacity,” Adams said. “There seems to be such a need for this. I’m hoping that turns into someone stepping forward to volunteer.”