G r eat A m er ica n Cle a nu p // 201 2 Re p ort
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Keep Bakersfield Beautiful’s Volunteers are Committed
College Athletes Volunteer for Dow Chemical Grants
Keep Bakersfield (Calif.) Beautiful (KBB) has made it a tradition for several thousand people to show their collective pride in their community through their annual Great American Cleanup Day. Volunteers for the local GAC are extremely committed and spirited. In fact, on April 14, more than 8,500 volunteers committed to the main event despite rain, mud and wind.
Great American Cleanup National Sponsor Dow Chemical launched the Dow College Cleanup Program throughout midMichigan during this year’s GAC. The goal of the program is to engage college students with their local communities through the GAC and, in return, the student organizations receive a $500 project grant from Dow Chemical.
The passel of volunteers cleaned up 201,780 pounds of litter and illegally dumped items, painted over 38,800 square feet of graffiti, recycled or composted 1,000 pounds of various compostable items, planted 120 trees, and beautified five sites, two of which will eventually become community gardens.
Among the many students that volunteered were a number of collegiate athletes. Saginaw Valley State University Women’s Club Soccer Team members came out on a rainy Sunday afternoon to clean up a mile of the Bay City State Park shoreline. The Dow College Cleanup Program grant provided the team with money that they can use to purchase new uniforms and soccer gear. The team of 13 women divided and conquered different areas of the shore where they picked up trash, bottles and cans. Team members also got into a canoe to pick debris out of a lagoon. They then continued into the campground to tidy up the park by picking up sticks and branches, and raking out the flower beds to prepare them for spring planting.
“We had the illegal dump sites getting cleaned up, about 100 trees planted and all the flowers going in. These projects last for a while and leave a nice impact on the area,” said Jessica Felix, community relations specialist for Keep Bakersfield Beautiful. From September through the end of June, 11,071 GAC volunteers cleaned up more than 255,000 pounds of litter and illegally dumped items, painted over 63,000 square feet of graffiti, recycled or composted nearly 140,000 pounds of food waste, planted 170 trees and 1,600 bulbs, flowers and shrubs, and beautified seven sites. Lasting change can happen when people work together, which has been in evidence with such a high level of dedication in Bakersfield.
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The Northwood University Timberwolves football team also participated in the Dow grant program after playing in its first spring scrimmage. A team spokesperson told the Midland Daily News, “This was a great opportunity for Northwood to team up with Dow Chemical in showing their support for the greater Midland area.” The team of 125 players and coaches traveled to the Shelter House and separated into groups to work on different areas. The team raked leaves, cleaned the grounds and removed trash from two acres of land around the river. They also mulched in playground areas and around flower beds. Assistant Coach Kasey Teegardin said, “Many hands make light work. With our 125 players working diligently, we were able to handle a weeks’ worth of work in only three hours of time.”