The nose-numbing cold wasn’t enough to keep hundreds of volunteers away from Fort Carson’s Iron Horse Park on Saturday.

Though temperatures hovered around freezing, 360 soldiers, family members, and Boy and Girl Scouts reported for duty at 8 a.m. in observance of Make a Difference Day, a national celebration of volunteerism that’s taken place annually for two decades.

Volunteers picked their projects: raking leaves, cleaning drainage ditches, painting a crosswalk, cleaning playground equipment and installing equipment in a dog park, said Joey Bautista, a manager with the Army Volunteer Corps.

“It’s very heart-warming coming over here and seeing people make a difference for the soldiers,” said Bautista, who referred to volunteers as “the force behind the force.”

By 11 a.m. Fort Carson families and pets were already enjoying improvements made to the dog park earlier that morning.

Among them was Spc. Conrad Moore, who played tug-of-war with his dog and sons, Alexander and Christos, at the park as he does most every weekend.

“I think it’s awesome,” Moore said of the improvements. “When they put in the water fountain, it was a big deal. And all the play stuff – the little dogs love it in there.”

Capt. Peter Aleria spent nearly three hours raking on Saturday morning alongside his wife and children.

As a special forces soldier, Aleria said he often feels distanced from what the rest of the post is doing.

Make a Difference Day was a good opportunity to bond with his kids and connect with other Army families, said Aleria, who was transferred to Fort Carson two months ago.

“It’s been fun, especially being a part of the bigger community here,” Aleria said as he stood with a rake and his 11-month-old, Lorenz, strapped to his chest in a baby carrier. “For the kids, we want to model that being a part of the community is a good thing.”

Maria Cristina Samantha Spear rakes leaves Saturday at Fort Carson’s Iron Horse Park during the post’s observation of Make a Difference Day. Spear was one of 360 volunteers who spent the morning beautifying parks, painting a crosswalk and cleaning playground equipment on post. Photo by Erin Prater/THE GAZETTE