Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Lakes Area YMCA Earth Service Corps took to Winona Lake beach area Saturday to clean up the trash left on the beach and in the park.
For their second project of the year, approximately nine local teens were involved.
Ryan Finney, family and teen director for the YMCA, said, "The kids are all running this." They contacted the press and wrote up the press releases. Mike Nichols called local businesses and got Subway and Dairy Queen "to help us along the way" by donating food. Ace Hardware donated some supplies. The teens also contacted Winona Lake Parks Department to get permission to be on the beach.
"The kids are excited about it and are having a lot of fun with it," Finney said.
During their four hours out at the beach, Finney said, the teen-agers found all kinds of trash. "They're impressed they're making a difference. It is service learning. They're learning as they're doing this."
Earth Service Corps member Clarke Joyner said, "It's good to clean up the park because it's pretty filthy out here" and it's fun to be doing this with friends.
"We found some of those pop can plastic rings. We're just finding a lot of the typical stuff," such as soft drink cans and candy wrappers.
Joyner said he is learning from the project "that you should be more careful when you're eating here. People drop trash all over the place."
"I got involved because I heard about it at the Y that they were going to do a project to clean up our community," said member Jason Ummel, "and I thought it would be fun."
He was surprised at some of their findings. "We found very interesting stuff," he said.
Nichols also was surprised at some of the things they found that people left behind. "I found a toothpaste container. ... I didn't know there was so much trash at one park alone."
One way to solve the trash problem, he suggested, is, "I think the Winona Lake Park should put more trash bins out" and more recycle containers and signs. "I think it will help a little bit. If we had more signs it would help a little."
YMCA Earth Service Corps is a high-quality, club-based, service learning program for young people whose goals are leadership development, environmental education and action and cross-cultural awareness. Consisting of local teens who care about the community, the Lakes Area YMCA Earth Service Corps is focused on the future.
The group meets at 6 p.m. every other Tuesday alternately at the Kosciusko Community YMCA and at YMCA Camp Crosley. Projects for October and December are in the initial stages.
For more information, contact Finney at 269-YMCA or at earthservicecorps@yahoo.com
