Twenty-five cents. Is it Worth It?

TODAY, I EARNED TWENTY-FIVE CENTS picking trash from the sidewalk and boulevard along my 1,000-metre trek from 4^th Avenue to 2^nd Avenue along Dogwood Street. I get beeps, waves and thumbs-up gestures from people in their vehicles. I smile back. At my halfway point, I stop and check on the condition of Bonnie the Birch, our Adopt-a-Block mascot. Today, she surprised me with a shiny quarter at the base of her trunk.

“Thank you, Bonnie,” I said.

I heard someone approaching from behind and turned to see a pleasant looking women walking at a quick pace. She stopped beside me.

“Good morning,” she said.

“Good morning,” I said.

“You do a good job. You probably get good exercise too,” she said.

“Thanks. I like being outside in this weather,” I said.

She patted me on the back and continued on her swift stride.

I carried on, kicking my plastic bucket along the sidewalk, reaching around for discarded stuff and humming a familiar tune.

♫ Always Look on the Bright Side of Life ♫ by Monty Python

It's worth it.

Winter Bonnie

IN ALL THE EXCITEMENT of having our photograph taken with Bonnie the Birch, our Adopt-a-Block mascot, it caused me to make a short movie about her life, so far, in the winter months. As luck would have it, we got a beautiful covering of snow which hides the trash for a short while.

Bonnie the Birch and her volunteers

Behold, Service is Joy

OUR NEW FRIEND, Ms. Sian Thomson, a reporter with Courier-Islander, took time from her busy schedule to recognize the Adopt-a-Block volunteers on Friday, December 14, 2012.

We gathered at Bonnie the Birch, our faithful mascot on Dogwood Street, and had our photo taken with her. We held on securely to our garbage tongs, some of us sported a Visi-Vest while others clutched garbage bags. It was sunny enough for some to wear sunglasses.

The newspaper posted a short-version tale of our passion for removing trash from the sidewalks and boulevards of Campbell River. Some volunteer enthusiasts have adopted empty lots and corner plots. Tidying up is what makes us feel good.

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. 

I acted and behold, service was joy.

Rabindranath Tagore

Service can bring great joy.

Children Know Best

After a substantial clean up of a portion of the overlooked 3.5 acres located north of BC Ferries in Campbell River, the conductor for this Adopt-a-Block undertaking, Mark Myles, asked the children an important question.

“Why is it important to clean up?” he asked.

“To make Campbell River beautiful,” came one answer from a young child.

“So that we can live in a clean place,” said another.

“It’s good for the earth,” said one more.

The children grasped the concept immediately. Those who handled the garbage tongs scurried to the many pieces of trash and claimed each to be their responsibility. They gingerly placed their find into the garbage bags toted by their adult companions. The entire activity was a teaching and learning event. The children were taught to look after the earth and the parents learnt that their children are enthusiastic little service providers.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Real-life Service Providers

Children Know Best

A Humble Drop in a Very Large Bucket

At Your Service

WOW!  Fabulous things come to those who are service oriented.

Adopt-a-Block volunteers gathered on Friday, November 16, to celebrate a $60.00 donation and complimentary "Positive Tickets" from our local Royal Canadian Mounted Police, all thanks to the efforts of Constable Krista Wallis.

On that same afternoon, Mr. Drew Hadfield, Transportation Manager, City of Campbell River, delivered a generous supply of equipment including garbage tongs, Visi-Vests and work gloves.

The humble service-group of volunteers who remove trash from sidewalks, boulevards, empty lots and parking lots, alleyways, trails, and yards do so because they are motivated by helping others. By assisting others, volunteers develop a foundation for success and aspirations for themselves. Preparing unencumbered paths for others to tread are symbolic of providing a smooth avenue for their lives. The power of service changes us for the better.

I was once asked, "Why do you clean up others' messes?" 

"I provide service because it is acceptable as the highest form of worship to God," I said.

At Your Service

 

Shock and Amazement

IT WAS, AT FIRST, SHOCKING to view the condition of the three and half acres located just north of the British Columbia ferry terminal in Campbell River. Mr. Mark Myles of the local Converge Church brought wonderment and problem solving strategies to our on-site meeting.

“I’d like to bring my entire congregation to clean up this empty lot. I think we might start with this area,” Mark said.

He opened his arms wide to identify the starting point on the southeast corner of the property. We stared at the massive black boulders holding back the seawater. Some of them were laden with garbage that shook precariously as the wind tried to force the items into the ocean.

“You can see by all the shopping carts and discarded stuff that homeless people live here sometimes,” he said.

“You’re very kind, Mark, to adopt this unique area. Welcome to Adopt-a-Block,” I said.

He told me he would discuss with his friends a possible date for the clean up extravaganza. We left each other that day feeling upbeat and confident.

Three and a half acre clean up starting point

1300 S Island Highway ~ 3.5 Acre Site

At Your Service

THE DELIGHTFUL COUPLE of Gordie and Lori Ronson, hike an impressive three-kilometre round trip excursion from Merecroft Road to McPhedran Road seeking out trash. Their service is simple: remove the litter from their neighbourhood sidewalks and boulevards in Campbell River.

They use their garbage tongs to snap up the debris and toss it into a large waste bag. When they come upon a city-owned garbage can, they push the sack into it. From there, the careful couple cross the street and head home with a new bag retrieving what others have so carelessly discarded.

Their conversations include how it is that some of us are mindful of our surroundings and others don't seem to care.

If you witness the couple on their Adopt-a-Block trek, give them a wave or a honk from your vehicle or speak to them directly about their kind selfless service.

The Ronson Route

Ronsons at your service.

Constable Issues Tickets to Adopt-a-Block

TEARS OF JOY welled up in my eyes as Constable Krista Wallis of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police handed me Positive Tickets, enough for all the Adopt-a-Block volunteers.

“I saw your story in the local paper and thought that the adopt a block volunteers needed to be recognized,” she said.

Krista met with my husband and I, to exchange ideas about the power of providing a service with no thought of receiving a reward and how satisfying it feels acting on simple intrinsic values. I could tell by the look in her eyes and her positive energy that she is a woman of steadfast strength.

We exchanged philosophies on how a clean city presents a fresh reflection of its citizens. We both wondered aloud how it is that some people choose to drop trash on the sidewalks and boulevards of our fine city and how others will pack large household items into a vehicle and toss them absently along trails on the city perimeter. None of us knew how to interpret that mindset.

Adopt-a-Block is blessed to have such a dynamic lady on our side.

Krista provides Positive Tickets

Duty-driven Rubbish Remover

SEVENTY-EIGHT, SEVENTY-NINE; I stopped counting. There was likely seven times that number of cigarette butts stranded along my adopted blocks between 4^th Avenue and 2^nd Avenue on Dogwood Street in Campbell River.

After nearly two years of performing my duty, I still get a great sense of satisfaction tidying up the sidewalks and boulevards in my neighbourhood. I head out the back door of my home with garbage tongs in one hand, a trash bucket in the other and work gloves on both so that I can pick up what the tool cannot.

On Sunday, October 28, 2012, I was humming along toward Bonnie, the tree I’ve adopted along my route, and behold she was standing beside a garbage can cover that someone had absently tossed her way. As I approached, I saw a white plastic bag and a discarded plastic tray that at one time held food of some kind. I shook my head and wondered how she could attract such junk. After clearing the rubbish I continued south and filled my bucket to capacity.

The City of Campbell River has sensibly placed a solid concrete garbage container on my beat so that my regular three buckets of trash can be deposited into it. Where there are humans, there is rubbish, which means that it’s necessary to have a garbage can to get rid of the litter. Refuse collectors are a city’s necessary investment.

Further along my circuit, I stood and stared for nearly a minute at a large pile of cigarette butts left behind by someone who chose to empty their over-filled car ashtray in my path. My initial feeling of disgust turned calmly into a feeling of responsibility. I picked up the butts in bunches and tossed them into my trash pail. I arrived home later, feeling great about my neighbourhood.

Find the things that don't belong

My neighbourhood in my mind's eye

Robin K's Zigzag Hike

  Robin Kaminski is our newest Adopt-a-Block volunteer. For years she’s been removing rubbish from the parking lots at Fisherman’s Wharf and the Heritage Maritime Museum in Campbell River. She has also claimed paths in that area.

Her straight-back, bend at the hips extended-arm pickup style is her preference as she zigzags from one area to another. She uses her body as a tool to retrieve what others have chosen to toss aside.

When you see Robin loading up her garbage bag in the parking lots, a minimum 990-metre trek, use your happy voice to thank her for the good work she does. Or, ask if you can join her.

"When you serve, you see life as whole. Service is the work of the soul."

 ~ Rachel Naomi Remen

Robin's Fisherman's Wharf in Campbell River, BC

Sponsored by the United Nations

Adopt-a-Block Goes Global

Adopt-a-Block has grown to fifteen volunteers who have generously adopted block after block in Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada.

Their primary mission is to remove rubbish from the sidewalks and boulevards of Campbell River and nearby districts. Armed with garbage tongs, garbage bags, work gloves, safe needle containers and some a Visi-Vest, the dedicated troop of volunteers humbly remove trash and dispose of it in nearby trashcans. One volunteer has adopted a plot of land in his vicinity and another a tree along her route. The tree has been named Bonnie and she has become the group's mascot.

"We've added our community effort to the United Nations Clean Up the World campaign. It's a worthwhile thing to do," Susan said.

Click this link to find the website, click on Canada to narrow the field and then again on Campbell River to find Adopt-a-Block.  Adopt-a-Block Goes Global

If you are interested in taking up the wonderment of adopting a block of your own, please contact Susan Black at cleanlivingcr@gmail.com.

Tia's Trek to Perks Donuts

ONE OF THE PRIVILEGES of removing trash from the sidewalks and boulevards of Campbell River can be the journey itself.

Tia Ladret, our newest Adopt-a-Block volunteer has chosen an 800-metre round trip trek from the intersection of Peterson Road and 14^th Avenue, east onto Homewood Road to Perk’s Donuts.

Armed with trash tongs, a garbage bag, work gloves and a Visi-Vest, Ms. Tia will work her way past Elk River Timber Road on her right and Maple Street on her left or vise-versa depending on her outlook that day. If you are walking, biking, hiking, skate-boarding, jogging or driving along her route, give her a "Hello” for her dedication to our city and its condition. Or, offer to join her.

Tia's Trek Route

View Tia L. Adopt-a-Block in a larger map

4th Place Winners

Bonnie The Birch

Submitted by Susan Black

I walk south on Dogwood Street several times a week and pass by a tree that seems to be calling out for help. I’ve named her Bonnie The Birch.

During the summer, her little leaves flutter in the wind, calling attention to herself, but no one seems to notice her. Instinctively, when the season changes, she releases her accessories and they fall to the ground around her. In the winter months she stands naked but brave, ready for the spring sun to rebirth her foliage.

She stands a meager four feet tall, stunted I suspect, from lack of water. She stands wedged between two huge logs and is strangled by tall grass and the encroaching bully known as the yellow broom plant.

At her roots, there is discarded debris and one of her branches has a plastic cup dangling on the end of it. That day I stepped up to her and removed the unwanted ornament from her outstretched limb.

The sweet thing is located on the northwest corner of the neighbouring property and it is obvious from her appearance that she is need of water. I’m not an arborist, but if this tree is a birch, as I suspect, then she has shallow roots, which need watering during dry periods. I look at her closely and decide that I will try to find her owner and ask if I can adopt her. So far, however, the property owner has not returned my calls. Patiently, Bonnie remains steadfast.

Sponsored by: Greenways Land Trust

4th Place Winners

Trash Picking Treasures

On Saturday, October 13, 2012, it rained. Thirty-five volunteers gathered under tents at the Merecroft Village parking lot in Campbell River, sipping on hot Tim Hortons’ coffee and stuffing luxuriously sweet Tim Bits into their mouths. I joined the crew at ten o’clock, gulped down a black coffee and headed off with my new friend, Robin, on our 2600 metre trek.

The Greenways Land Trust volunteers had provided us with a set of garbage tongs, a garbage bag, a pair of work gloves and a reflective Visi-Vest.

We found all kinds of discarded things under bushes, floating in water, stuffed between rocks, fluttering from tree branches and sitting on the sidewalk. Our most numerous trash items were cigarette butts and our one-off item was a large wet cardboard box. Three of our greatest finds were a precious herb plant that poked up from a crack in the sidewalk, a tree covered in what looked to be grapes, and a spectacular pink-leaved tree on the grounds of a church.

Two hours later, back at the parking lot, we were rewarded with more coffee and donuts, a Tim Horton’s T-shirt and a warm thank you from the organizers. One of the trash picking volunteers, and a new member of the Adopt-A-Block team, Ms. Tia, shared with me that she had been cleaning rubbish in the nearby forest and came upon a fawn curled up in the bushes. The precious thing didn’t move and so she continued a bit further and found the mother also lying down, out of the rain. She looked at the mother deer and said, “I’m here to clean up your home.”

Trash Picking Treasures

courtesy of www.buckmanager.com