LDS Youth from Mesa beautify Superior

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

From March 20-22, nearly 200 boys and girls from Mesa, along with their church leaders, descended on Superior for a three-day retreat that included a significant service project at Fairview Cemetery. The title of the youth conference was: Good, Better, Superior. The 14-18 year-old youth from the Mesa East Stake of the LDS Church used the old Superior High School as home base for the three-day event, which included instruction, games, dances, service, and a talent show. The group was hosted by Elijah and Marjorie Cardon, who own and live in the old school. Elijah, who also serves as the local leader for the LDS branch, commented, “We love to have groups from the Valley come and enjoy the facilities and the history here in Superior.”

On Friday afternoon, the youth spent three hours beautifying our Fairview Cemetery. They kicked off the event with an introduction from Margaret Gaston, town manager, and Anthony Huerta, public works director, who reminded the youth that every grave represents a life and a story worth telling. The group’s activities included removing weeds and applying weed killer across large swaths of the cemetery, pruning back unwanted trees, planting six additional Italian Cyprus trees, re-painting of all garbage cans and spigots, cleaning up generally, especially around the section of unknown graves, and picture-taking of all headstones so that they can be catalogued and included in online family history sites like billiongraves.com. The youth enjoyed the project, with one participant, Britni Porter, saying, “I loved doing my little part to clean up this important resting place.” And President Michael J. Toone, the president of the Mesa East Stake, added, “It was sweet to see all of the kids working so hard together. When we were finished, in their eyes I could see a real sense of pride in their work and a connection with this town and its cemetery.”

As the group left town on Saturday afternoon, they took memories of Superior with them. One of the boys, Austin Denham, said, “What a great three days. I made some new friends, laughed a lot, and got to give back to the community.”

One of the adult leaders of the event, Laraine Eddington, summed it up well, “We could not be happier with the facilities, the town, the content of the program, and everyone who contributed so much time and effort to make the conference a success. The youth seemed to love everything about it.”

The group expressed appreciation to the leadership of the town for their partnership and support.

Staff (5795 Posts)

There are news or informational items frequently written by staff or submitted to the Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner, Superior Sun, Pinal Nugget or Oracle Towne Crier for inclusion in our print or digital products. These items are not credited with an author.


Facebooktwitterby feather
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Comments are closed.

  • Additional Stories

    Annual San Manuel Copper Classic motorcycle race returns March 9

    February 4th, 2024
    by

        Well, they will be at it again. The Trail Riders of Southern Arizona (TRS) will be hosting the […]


    Strong Start to Superior’s 2024

    February 4th, 2024
    by

    Our great town has entered 2024 at hypersonic speed, and we are excited about the many major milestones we have […]


    Rep. Gallego visits Superior

    February 4th, 2024
    by

      Rebuild Superior Inc and the Superior Enterprise Center hosted Representative Ruben Gallego for a regional round table luncheon at […]


    Winkelman Preparatory Academy plans expansion

    February 4th, 2024
    by

    By Mila Besich   When the school year first started in August of 2023, 16 young girls began attending the […]


  • Additional Stories

    New welding facility open for regional learning in Superior

    February 4th, 2024
    by

      By Nathaniel A. Lopez   It’s official.   On Jan. 23, members of Superior Town Council, Rebuild Superior, Resolution […]


    Queen Creek Bridge replacement project begins on US60; full closures will be required between Superior, Miami for blasting

    February 4th, 2024
    by

      SUPERIOR – The Arizona Department of Transportation is replacing two bridges on US 60 east of Superior with spans […]


    Pinal County hosts vaccine clinics in Kearny, Mammoth

    February 4th, 2024
    by

        On Jan. 14, the Pinal County Animal Care and Control offered low-cost vaccines to local pet owners in […]


    OWN Oracle to disband; Oracle Visitors Center to close

    February 4th, 2024
    by

      By Nathaniel A. Lopez   After many years of service in the Oracle, and surrounding communities, OWN-Oracle Women’s Network, […]


  • Copperarea

  • Southeast Valley Ledger