The La Porte County Solid Waste District’s fifth annual Clean It Up Day was a huge success again this year, with hundreds of volunteers participating in 38 cleanups countywide! In Michigan City alone, volunteers collected 200 bags of trash in areas including Meijer Drive, Highway 12, Pahs Road, Karwick Road and Hitchcock Road. Another two truckloads of litter was also removed from La Porte’s downtown, parks and neighborhoods, as well as county roads in surrounding areas.
“Despite the rain, we still had around 350 people go out in their communities to clean them up and make them better places to live and play,” said Alicia Ebaugh, district education and public outreach coordinator. “The goal of this event is to heighten awareness of La Porte County’s litter problem, and I think it’s working.”
The La Porte County Solid Waste District wants to recognize everyone who helped make the event a success:
- Michigan City area volunteer groups – Michigan City High School, Krueger Middle School, The North Face staff, Crystal Castro and family, Fifth Ward Councilperson Sharon Carnes and family, At-Large Councilperson Don Przybylinski and family, Evergreen Baptist Church’s youth group, Michigan City North End Advocacy Team, Not 2 Young 2 Work, Elston Grove Neighborhood Association, the Greater MC GOP Club, Nora Schultz, Tracey Pollock and family, Samantha Chapala and family, Sue and Louie Almanza, Jane Neulieb and all Long Beach volunteers, Charmaine Tompkins and family, Levi’s and Verizon staff, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints’ youth group, Patricia Howard and family, Michelle Basta, Andi Jahnz-Davis and Mark Dever.
- Washington Park Zoo, which allowed all volunteers free entry to the zoo following the cleanup.
- The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Department, which allowed us to hold a thank you lunch for volunteers at the new North Pointe Pavillion, and Assistant Superintendent Shannon Eason who supervised all of the volunteers who cleaned up Washington Park Zoo.
- The Michigan City Refuse Department for working hard year after year to pick up all the litter collected in Michigan City.
- La Porte area volunteer groups – Alcoa, American Licorice, Agape Christian Church, Northwest Chapter of the Indiana Environmental Health Association, Rolling Prairie Business and Community Association, LC Sacred Heart Apostolic School, the Scipio Sensations 4-H Club, Terra Verde Garden Club, the Kiwanis Club of La Porte, Sean McKiel and family, Blake McKiel and family, Tim Vaughan and the Stock family, Ashley Wisnieski and friends, Lora and Paul Brooks, Donna and Byron Marben, Sheryl Bede and family, Connie Justice, Phil Liverman, Nina Rogowski and Girl Scout troops led by Deb Gordon, Jessica Duch, Pamela Stanfield, Kim Zapala and Kristin Nunez .
- The Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce, which hosted a cleanup in downtown La Porte and the city’s thank you luncheon this year under the guidance of Marketing and Communication Director Drew Gesse.
- The La Porte Park and Recreation Department for picking up litter, leaves and other items collected from La Porte’s parks.
- The local businesses whose donations made all of this possible – Domino’s Pizza, Wana Pizza, Michigan City Fifth Ward Councilperson Sharon Carnes, Family Express, Waste Management, Republic Services, Phart’s Phat Macs and Custom Cakes, Momma Sue’s Cafeteria and Catering, Overboard at the Marina, Arturo’s Baked Goods and More, Nora Schultz, Yacht Brite Detailing, and AIM Water. We couldn’t do this without them!
The cleanup day is organized in conjunction with Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup, with trash bags donated by Glad.
Cleaning up litter not only makes county look better, it helps protect wildlife and the ecosystems in which we live, Ebaugh said. “Keeping trash out of our environment is important work, and it’s up to each one of us to do our part. These volunteers helped all of us by picking up waste that others did not dispose of properly,” she said.