More than 40 employee volunteers from AT&T’s west region headquarters in Redmond recently joined together for a beautification project at Marymoor Park in King County.

In celebration of National Volunteer Week, April 6-12, and with Earth Day around the corner, the volunteers removed invasive Himalayan blackberry plants along the eastern fence line. The weed was overgrowing in that part of Marymoor Park and the AT&T employees removed it by cutting and digging out the roots.

The day’s activity helped improve the eastern fence line area of the park, while making it much more attractive and stopping the spread of the plant. The volunteer event was one of 10 taking place across the country that week.

“Anyone who has dealt with blackberries will tell you, they are diligent in their resolve not to be removed. Our small band of volunteers tackled this task head on, suffering on minor cuts and scraps from this tenacious plant,” said AT&T volunteer project leader Shane Boyd. “It was fun to partner coworkers from our Redmond offices. There were no cubicles or buildings separating us, no ranks or titles, just individuals coming together to help make a park that we all enjoy a little brighter and a little less thorny.”

National Volunteer Week was established in 1974 and focuses national attention on the impact and power of volunteerism and service as an integral aspect of civic leadership. The week draws the support and endorsement of the president and Congress, governors, mayors and municipal leaders, as well as corporate and community groups across the country.

The National Volunteer Week events are part of AT&T Community Engagement, which offers employees the opportunity to help their communities thrive. Last year, AT&T employees and retirees volunteered more than 5.3 million hours of time in community outreach activities, worth more than $118 million and pledged more than $35 million for charities of their choice through employee giving.