Couple honored for volunteer work at Alabama state park

“It was great to have Phil and Shar help us out, because they would just take the lead and be in charge of the volunteer group.”

— CHAD DAVIS, DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT OF NORTHWEST ALABAMA STATE PARKS

ROGERSVILLE, Ala. — When Phil and Shar Roos heard about the tornado damage at Joe Wheeler State Park, they pointed their recreational vehicle that way.

The Rooses, who created a movement called “A Year to Volunteer,” headed to the park where they and fellow RVers provided help with renovations and repairs.

The Arizona couple came up with the idea for “A Year to Volunteer” in 2018.

“Phil retired from the Navy and I was unfulfilled in my work, so we decided to hop in the RV with a little bit of purpose and take a year to volunteer,” Shar Roos said.

That idea has turned into a much larger goal. They ultimately want to help with a volunteer project in all 50 states.

The couple came to Joe Wheeler last year after the December 2019 tornado left a path of damage through much of the park.

“We did all kinds of work there,” Shar Roos said. “We remodeled the campground store, cleared trails and built bridges.”

They also waxed the marina store floor, and painted rocks with the hashtag #JWSProcks. The rocks were placed throughout the park in hopes people would post photos on social media of the rocks they find along the trails.

Their efforts got the attention of Alabama State Parks, which recently honored the Rooses with the agency’s Eagle Award.

“It was great to have Phil and Shar help us out, because they would just take the lead and be in charge of the volunteer group,” said Chad Davis, district superintendent of Northwest Alabama State Parks. “We would just have to talk with them about the things the park wanted done and they would take the ball and run with it.”

The couple also has done work on Buck’s Pocket State Park in Grove Oak.

“We’ve got a soft spot for Alabama State Parks,” Phil Roos said. “Let me tell you, on this journey, [we] have made friends for life. They’re all just great people.”

The Roos’ efforts were originally just their own, but then they met other RVers who wanted to volunteer.

Now they have a YouTube channel and a Facebook page to help organize a larger number of volunteers for larger projects.

Their YouTube channel is youtube.com/ayeartovolunteer.

The organization has done about a dozen projects and collected more than 12,500 volunteer hours, Phil Roos said.

They currently are in Tennessee before heading to Montana.

“We schedule about six months in advance and look for volunteers,” he said. “We fill up in a minute.”

Davis said he has become a reference for the couple when parks have asked him about them.

“They’ve been all over state parks in the country working on a variety of projects,” he said. “I’ve vouched for them. They’re definitely people you want helping out.”