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Monday, October 13, 2008

EnviroCorps Keeping the Community Clean


Saturday morning Vernon Young, who is 72, stopped by our house in unincorporated Pierce County, to tell us about an organization he founded called EnviroCorps. Vernon started out by picking up litter along a route my husband and I used to pick up back when we first moved to the neighborhood in 1990 and before I went to work. We may have seen Vernon out and about all those years ago.

Vernon told me that he knows he won’t always be able to keep our little corner of the world picked up and that is why he formed EnviroCorps. It will be his legacy to the community when he can no longer keep us looking spiffy. But we are all a part of the community and EnviroCorps needs help in the form of donations and volunteers.

It only takes 15 businesses or individuals who are willing to donate $10 or more on a regular monthly basis to keep a two-mile section of road free of litter. EnviroCorps coordinates the actual litter pick up while Pierce County and the City of Gig Harbor donate collection bags and deal with disposal of them.

Making an on-going donation during our current economic situation may not sound like an option to individuals, but there are volunteer opportunities are available and the way our family is going to go. EnviroCorps supplies safety gear and littler pick-up tools as well as supervision of volunteers and temporary employees while they pick up litter.

EnviroCorps has no paid administrative staff, aggressively seeks grants and have partnered with LaborWorks, a west coast based temporary labor provider which has agreed to provide temporary labor at their cost to help maintain litter free communities.

EnviroCorps will gladly help coordinate volunteer opportunities for students, scouts, church groups and others looking to fulfill a public service requirement or to make a difference in the community.

You can register on-line to become a volunteer or pledge recurring on-line donations.
Visit the website at http://www.envirocorps.org/ or call Vernon at 253-265-6162

2 comments:

JosephMcG said...

What a difference a few human beings do make... thanks for sharing this inspiring post...
Joseph

Stephanie Frieze said...

Even in these hard economic times, we can find ways of helping each other and the planet. Even if it's just for an hour once per month, everyone pitching in together can make a difference.