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It was a ‘day-on’ for beach cleanup volunteers
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Posted on Jan 21 2020
Calla Eichenberger, right, poses with volunteers from AmeriCorps and a member of 4H Club after their MLK Jr. beach cleanup at the Sugar Dock beach in Chalan Kanoa last Jan. 20. (JUSTINE NAUTA)
Yesterday may have been a holiday but it was no day off for 50 volunteers who marked the “day on” by cleaning up the Sugar Dock beach in Chalan Kanoa, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The beach cleanup was supposed to be from 8am to 11:30am but, due to the amount of volunteers that were present, it was cut down to two-and-a-half hours, according to site supervisor of AmeriCorps, Calla Eichenberger.
Eichenberger has plans to adjust the time for the beach cleanup next year.
“We need to keep things clean—to bring in tourists and just being a role model to show others how to properly dispose of trash,” said Eichenberger.
Yesterday’s volunteers were from AmeriCorps, 4H Club, and William S. Reyes Elementary School. Eichenberger said it was nice having students from elementary school through high school gather together yesterday to help clean up and that it’s a “great way to simply say we can serve” on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“I want to thank the staff from Parks and Recreation because they came by and helped us pick up trash. Also, I know that a lot of families do clean up their trash and we want to thank them for what they do,” said Eichenberger
Martin Luther King Jr. is known for his involvement in the American civil rights movement in the 1960s. His birthday—being a federal holiday—is observed by some not as a day off but as a “day on”—or a day of service. King was also an advocate for nonviolent methods of protests.
The MLK Day holiday yesterday marks the 25th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the civil rights leader’s life and legacy.
