Although Halloween and Spooky Season are over, something even scarier was found in and around the neighborhood of Franklin Park: TRASH! Luckily, Juniors from Troops 32881 and 33930 pitched in with tongs, gloves, and trash bags on the misty morning of Saturday, November 1, to clean up the area.
[1]The Girl Scouts were inspired by the collaboration between Edison Elementary’s Go Green Team and Cub Scout Troop 3051, who have been cleaning up around their school. They were also inspired by Franklin Elementary School second grade teacher Emily Pieri-Trotter, who usually takes her students to the park the day after Halloween to clean up trash.
“Since this year November 1 fell on a weekend, our GS Troop 32881 decided it would be a good opportunity to Take Action and give back to the community,” said Ann Chao Miyashiro, leader of GS Troop 32881. These Scouts were joined by Brittany Gentile, leader of GS Troop 33930, and Lisa Schmeiser from Troop 31949 who served as their Service Unit First Aider.
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[3]Some of the discarded items they picked up included food and candy wrappers and discarded beverage bottles. However, they also found some rather strange items, including a bouquet of dead flowers and an entire fishing pole!
Neighbors and passersby were grateful for the Scouts’ efforts, shouting “Thank you!” to them as they cleaned up. Many other people also expressed their gratitude, including Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft [4] and a sports journalist for the Golden State Warriors! In just over an hour, the Scouts collected over 35 pounds of trash!