On July 12, 2017, contractors, distributors, Arboretum staff, and Alamance Community College instructors and students met at the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, North Carolina, to install a plant irrigation system at the main pedestrian entrance. Mike Rodgers of Rodgers Landscaping Service organized the workday, which began with a project planning meeting over breakfast biscuits.

Vendors and suppliers steadily arrived throughout the morning bringing the needed materials to perform the project. Contractors, vendors, and students worked side-by-side digging out the trenches in preparation for the irrigation installation. Lee Barnwell of Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Supply, Brad Comer of Smith Turf & Irrigation, and Steve Hill of Turftenders Landscape Service provided teaching and instruction as the irrigation installation process began.

The Alamance students were eager to jump in, help, and learn. "This was a great opportunity for them to obtain hands-on experience with a commercial-grade project," said Erich Kolb, president of the Carolinas Irrigation Association. The students and faculty worked alongside, and gained first-hand instruction from, some of the leaders in the green industry in North and South Carolina. They were also fortunate enough to be exposed to some of the latest and greatest irrigation products available, learning how they work and how to properly install them.

After lunch, the volunteers covered the trenches, cleaned up the work area, and fired up the irrigation system. The plants now receive some much appreciated water; the students, our future industry leaders, walked away with invaluable experience and knowledge of a working irrigation installation; and the Arboretum now has the tools it needs to sustain the beautiful plant life along the entrance during the hot, dry spells of a Carolina summer.

The volunteer workday was a successful event and the CIA would like to say "Thank you" to everyone that provided materials and labor for our project.