City of Gatesville plans for 8th annual Earth Day event

The City of Gatesville is planning its eighth annual Earth Day event for fifth grade students of the Gatesville Independent School District, which will be held on Friday, April 19, at the Gatesville Civic Center.

The first Earth Day hosted by the city was held in 2016 and is designed to educate local youth on how to be sustainable and save the environment.

The purpose of this event is to help educate our children on recycling, reusing, reduction, and sustainability.

It is anticipated that approximately 200 students will attend the event.

Students will arrive at the event at 12 p.m., and the day will conclude around 3 p.m.

There will be several organizations from Ft. Cavazos present to discuss different topics concerning the environment. Presentations will be given by Adaptive & Integrative management, Cen-Tex Sustainability Community Partnership, Ft. Cavazos DPW Environmental, Ft. Cavazos Cultural Resources, Ft. Cavazos Natural Resources, Ft. Cavazos Water, Agri-Life Extension of Gatesville, City of Nolanville, CTC Mayborn Planetarium & Space, CTCOG & KTMPO, Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful, Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation, Whitney Lake State Park Rangers, and the Cen-Tex Reptile & Wildlife Rescue.

The students will be allowed to participate in the presentations.

Each presenter will have a ten-to-twelve-minute presentation. Then the students will rotate to the next presentation station, and 4-H Ambassadors will be there assisting the teachers with getting the students from station to station as well.

The city will provide the 4-H Ambassador volunteers with pizza, drinks, and dessert for taking time to assist the teachers with the children during the event.

The Texas 4-H Foundation County Grant Program gave the city a grant last year to be used within a two-year time frame.

Liz Reinhardt with the City of Gatesville expressed that the event is important because it teaches our youth to invest in the planet, gain knowledge of how to recycle, reduce, reuse, and to be sustainable.

Each student will be provided with a drawstring backpack that will be fully loaded with prizes and will be used to carry their giveaways in.

The city is using the monetary and in-kind donations given by the community to provide giveaways for the children to help support the event. All funds and giveaways will be strictly used for the benefit of the students.

Any monetary gift can be given, and any giveaway items can be given if they are safe for the kids.

“Some local businesses donated monetary gifts for this event,” Reinhardt said.

The city will recognize your business or organization for donating by placing your logo or business name on the Earth Day T-shirts.

For further details or questions, contact City of Gatesville Development Coordinator Liz Reinhardt at 254-220-4419, or by email at lreinhardt@gatesvilletx.com.

The Gatesville Civic Center is located at 301 Veteran’s Memorial Loop.