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ROCKWELL CITY- Do a good turn daily. Service above self. ... To help other people at all times.

These are the mottos, slogans and oath of some the various service groups including the Boy Scouts, Rotary and Holy Name Society, whose members were out Sunday morning in the Rockwell City Walk, suffering scraped hands and bruised knees to clean up the 20-acre island of trees that rests north of U.S. Highway 20.

"This is a hidden jewel of Rockwell City," said Mary Richardson, event organizer and Rotary member. "It's literally flourished."

However, this citywide effort was about more than just clearing brush. It was about honoring a man who has lived by the volunteerism expressed in such service club creeds, and who worked to create, maintain and expand the city's only forest and walk park - Pat Minnick, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

"This is Pat's babe," said Richardson, "and he's unable to do this, so we thought wouldn't this be a neat thing to show our support."

Not many people can say they've turned an abandoned railroad yard into a state-recognized walk park, or a prison into an Outstanding Community Organization, but Minnick has done both in the same effort.

"Rotary's motto is service above self, and I've kind of been using that motto for my life's mission statement," said Minnick, "Whatever community you live in, you should get involved in it."

In the late 1980s Minnick convinced the men's group of the St. Francis Catholic Church in Rockwell City to purchase 20 acres of land and donate it to the city, which in turn created the Rockwell City Walk Park on the land.

Since then, Minnick has worked to organize offenders from the North Central Correctional Facility's Minimum Outs program to clean up the park and plant new trees. His efforts turned Rockwell City into an official Tree City USA community, and NCCF was recognized by the Iowa Urban and Community Forestry Council for its efforts in planting trees both in the Rockwell City Walk Park and the Twin Lakes Trail.

Minnick was recognized as an Outstanding Volunteer.

Unable to organize the event this year due to his illness, the Rockwell City Rotary Club, Lion's Club, Holy Name Society, Calhoun County Conservation, Cub Scouts and Boy Scout Troop 94 all took part in this effort both to clean up the park and to repay Minnick for his years of volunteerism.

Also helping were many volunteers from the community who came out on their own to help, as well as Trae and Joan Thomas of Trae's Tree Service.

Randy Martin, assistant scoutmaster of the Troop 94 Boy Scouts, also said, "This is to help out the community. The community gives a lot to the Scouts and now this is our turn to give back."

While Gary Warner, of Warner Woodworking, worked with John Block, of Rockwell City, to restore the park's benches and picnic tables, young Cub Scouts picked up sticks and trash that had accumulated over the past year.

"They're just doing awesome today," said Richardson.

Older Boy Scouts and other service club members worked to clear overgrown brush, move logs and trim trees. Trae's Tree Service worked with the clubs to shred the wood carried out of the park to mulch.

"It's good to get people that have probably never ever been in the walk park in there and find out what's in Rockwell City they never knew was there," said Minnick. He also said "a thousand thanks" to all those who helped out.

Contact Ian Schmit at (515) 573-2141 or ischmit@messengernews.net