Local Students Sweep Streets, Clean Alleys For Environmental Action Week
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Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
The city of Warsaw and Kosciusko County Recycling Depot partnered Tuesday for a Kids Clean Up Day that allowed area youth to sweep city streets and clean alleys. The day was part of Environmental Action Week that runs through Saturday. There were 26 special needs students from Warsaw Community High School who worked together with peer volunteers to sweep the downtown streets on Center, Market and Buffalo streets Tuesday morning and afternoon. Local Girl Scouts finished the sweeping Tuesday night. Kosciusko Endowment Youth Services members will clean alleys Thursday morning. WCHS students Friday will participate in Bringing Light Into Tiger Zone, visiting community agencies to help with cleanup projects. Diane Quance, Warsaw City Council president, organized the Kids Clean Up Day. “We are excited to have the kids come and be a part of this because I think it is important for everyone to do some type of volunteer work in their community,” Quance said. Quance said as people drive by, she hopes they think about what they can do for their part to keep the streets clean and not litter the streets with cigarette butts and trash. KC Recycling Depot had an open house Saturday that kicked off Environmental Action Week and have had workshops this week. “It’s been neat to see the community working together to make it more beautiful,” Quance said. Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said the cleanup benefits the city as far as putting its best foot forward to set an example for the rest of the community. “Usually kids teach us a lot of things, and it is good to get them involved in setting a good example for everyone,” Thallemer said. Jennifer Bradley, WCHS special needs assistant, said it is important that the students are involved in the community. “So many times I think people place limitations on their abilities, but they are so eager and excited to get on the bus to come and clean, and they have a sense of keeping our community clean just as anyone else does,” Bradley said. Cody Duncan, a WCHS senior, said he was glad to be a part of keeping the city clean. Duncan said he also enjoys mowing his family’s lawn at home. Duncan is a volunteer at The Bowling Alley, cleaning bowling lanes and cleans the arcade machines and windows at Tokens ’N’ Tickets. Tre’se Blanton, a freshman at WCHS, said he was glad to have the opportunity to clean up the streets. “I always think when people drop cigarette butts on the ground it is destroying the earth and polluting it,” Blanton said. Sydney Rose, WCHS peer tutor, said she hopes the cleanup day shows the community that the students care.
