The young women of American Heritage Girls Troop 1412 meet at Southside Baptist Church and are actively involved in their community. On Sept. 21, they recognized National Day of Service by cleaning up Lone Star Lakes Park, their Adopt-a-Spot.

According to Explorer Unit Leader and AHG dad James Powell, the troop adopted Lone Star Lakes Park more than a year ago. For National Day of Service, the girls took care of their spot by picking up litter.

Volunteers picked up around the activities area, picnic tables, fishing spots, playgrounds and more than a mile of horseback trails.

Roughly three dozen volunteers worked a cumulative 85.5 service hours total, according to Powell, and they had fun doing it.

“It’s a great time,” Powell said in a phone interview. “It’s a good time for the kids to fellowship and hang out together. They always enjoy doing those cleanups. They are excited to hang out with their friends and serve the community.”

American Heritage Girls is a faith-based character development program for girls ages 5 to 18, with core values of faith, service and fun, according to a press release.

“Service is the practical expression of a girl’s faith,” AHG Executive Director and Founder Patti Garibay stated in the press release. “Watching girls grow in their faith and experiencing them discovering their God-given purpose through the development of servant hearts is the greatest achievement of AHG.”

The National Day of Service started in 2012 and coincides with the nonprofit’s birthday each year. This annual commemoration, according to the press release, serves as a way for AHG staff and troops to give back to their communities through giving gifts of service.

Troops are encouraged to hold an event each year for National Day of Service that will allow them to service their communities, charter organizations, churches and charities.

“We were very glad to provide a service and do something for that park,” Powell said.