It was not a huge turn out at the July 8 beach clean up event held in Campbell River, but those volunteers that participated did so with heart.
Despite the wind and only a few volunteers, the group set about cleaning up the beach at Ken Forde Park at around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The event was organized by Youth Can 20/20, which helps provide volunteer opportunities for young people with various different local agencies.
“Our group had a big conversation about what’s important, and the environment was our number one,” said youth engagement assistant Sarah Robinson. “Moving forward into the summer we really want to focus on environmentally-based activities.”
She said that the beach clean up, which was held in tandem with other beach cleaning events in Nanaimo, Comox, Powell River and Victoria, was to help clean up popular outdoor spaces and give people a place to come spend time with their families.
“With COVID-19, we know a lot of people are looking for spaces to hang out in outside of their homes. We really wanted to come down here where we know a lot of people have beach fires and socialize to make sure its a good clean space for everyone,” said Robinson.
This was the first event of 2020 held in person, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Robinson said that other in-person events are to be held throughout the summer.
“We try to do events every other week. This year we’ve been focusing a lot on virtual events, but in the summer we’re looking forward to connecting with seniors,” she said.
“I feel bad there wasn’t more of a group. I think everyone’s still a little hesitant, not knowing what it’s going to be like,” she added.
More information on future events can be found at the Campbell River Youth Can 20/20 Facebook page.
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marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
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Katie Crombie cleans up an old fire pit area in Ken Forde Park. Photo by Marc Kitteringham, Campbell River Mirror
Garbage from a recent picnic was found throughout the park by volunteers. Photo by Marc Kitteringham, Campbell River Mirror.
Katie Crombie and Sarah Robinson work on picking up garbage at Ken Forde Park on July 8, 2020. Photo by Marc Kitteringham, Campbell River Mirror.
Sarah Robinson picks up a piece of trash at the beach at Ken Forde Park. Photo by Marc Kitteringham, Campbell River Mirror.
Sarah Robinson and Katie Crombie show off the garbage they collected after the first ten minutes of work. Photo by Marc Kitteringham, Campbell River Mirror.
