Delta Sigma Theta volunteers transform Franklin Elementary School with a day at play

SALT LAKE CITY — More than 300 volunteers with Delta Sigma Theta gathered at Franklin Elementary in Salt Lake City on Wednesday to give the school's playground a major makeover.

The service project is part of the sorority's Impact Day of Service, which kicks off its regional conferences by giving back to the communities where members gather.

Volunteers spent the morning renovating the playground and creating a community mural, with the goal of giving students a better place to play, exercise and connect.

Kimberly M. Usher, regional director for Delta Sigma Theta, said investing in the community is an important part of the organization's conferences. "When we host our regional conferences, we kick off every conference with investing in the community that we serve," Usher said.

Franklin Elementary was selected for the project because of its location in a lower- to moderate-income community, Rep. Sandra Hollins, D-Salt Lake City, said. "What we do at Delta, when we have conferences, we believe that you should make an impact on the community," Hollins said. "That you should not just come in, have the conference and leave."

The Farwest Regional Conference is bringing more than 1,500 people to Salt Lake City and runs through Sunday.

Cheryl W. Turner, an international director with Delta Sigma Theta, said the organization wanted students to understand the importance of exercise and having an active place to gather. "We definitely wanted to look at an elementary school that provided all that we needed to ensure children got the message that exercise is important," Turner said.

The sorority says it also spent $25,000 in helping to reconstruct the playground.

The Farwest Regional Conference runs through Sunday.

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