A local American Heritage Girls Troop in Athens has been organizing a community project near the duck pond at Big Spring Park. 

American Heritage Girls is a faith-based character development program for girls ages 5 to 18. 

AHG Troop No. 5613 spent Saturday at the park during the National Day of Service. 

The troop organized the Athens City ROCKS! Project joining with the City of Athens to open the Rock River of Hope, a river of rocks by the pond. Some rocks are painted, while others are waiting for someone to paint. 

Troop leaders said American Heritage Girls serving their community is one of the most important parts of the program. 

“This year, circumstances surrounding the nation have been challenging, overwhelming and stressful for individuals and families, so they wanted to come up with a free, socially-distant, fun way to get involved with the whole community,” Troop Coordinator Lindsay Dempsey said. 

The Athens City ROCKS! Project is a place they have created to cultivate togetherness during a time of division and uncertainty,  Dempsey said.  

“The American Heritage Girls would like to spread a message of unity, hope and fun that the whole community can get involved with and visit,” she said. “Anyone who wishes to be involved can visit the Big Springs Duck Pond downtown during park hours and choose a rock, take it home and paint it and bring it back to place in the Rock River.”

Without the strong support of the City of Athens, and their community partners, including French Mill Stone, Felicia McGee of Dream Key Real Estate, Kathy Hollman with Matilda Jane, Donna Kay Smith, Donald Evans and Lang Chiropractic, this project could not have been possible, Dempsey said. 

The National Day of Service coincides with the nonprofit American Heritage Girls’ birthday each year. Started in 2012, this annual commemoration serves as a way for AHG staff and troops to give back to their communities through giving gifts of service, rather than receiving gifts, according to Dempsey.  Troops are encouraged to plan an event each year for National Day of Service, which allows them to serve their communities, charter groups, churches and charities. Last year, Troops across the nation served by volunteering more than 652,000 hours of service to their local communities. 

The public can follow troops’ service on social media through the hashtags #AHGserves and #faithSERVICEfun.    

Visit americanheritagegirls.org to find out more about the program and find the Athens City ROCKS! Project Facebook event page to find out more about the project.