Will Crowe ’22 was tired of seeing graffiti on the wall of a neighborhood river access park he frequents in Avondale. So he gathered a group of friends, most of them Bolles peers, and set out with a plan to clean it up.

The park is one of the few spots in the neighborhoods where families and anglers can access the nature, beauty and views of the St. Johns River. Over the years, however, vandals eclipsed the natural setting with obscene markings on the park’s concrete wall. Crowe decided a fresh coat of paint on the wall was the first place to begin making park improvements.

With the support of Bolles classmates Grady Gillam ’22, Chloe Johns ’22, Miller Lockwood ’22, Maddie Popp ’22 and neighborhood friend George Friedline, Crowe painted over the graffiti completely with blue paint. Students also installed chairs at the park and set out a garbage bag for litter. They also plan to return to the park this summer to plant creeping fig along the wall.

Students sent a request to Councilwoman Randy DeFoor for new signage and fencing at the park. DeFoor responded and said she is working on making the improvements a reality.

In recent weeks, the park has stayed graffiti-free and families with children are fishing from the park banks. Thank you, Bulldogs, for inspiring goodness in our community!