andrew004
Registered: February 2007 Posts: 1
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The following essay was authored by Andrew.
Recently I have become very involved in my neighborhood. Attending the neighborhood homeowners' board meetings has encouraged me to take part in neighborhood and community events. At the last annual board meeting, the common area in the neighborhood was addressed. The area was full of trash consisting of aluminum cans to outdoor equipment.
I decided in order to help keep my neighborhood in good condition that I would volunteer to clean up our common area. The common area is a small wooded area next to a creek bed. Many deer, squirrels, and birds live in this area. I decided on Friday morning April 14th, 2006 that I would clean up the area. At 10 A.M. I headed out for the area with plastic bags in hand. I filled two thirty-nine gallon plastic bags with various articles of debris. This debris included cans, cups, bottles, newspapers, egg cartons, and other items.
Some of the debris I found would not fit in plastic bags. This type of debris included a bicycle, work out bench, part of an old wheel barrow, and even a basketball goal. The bicycle was in the middle of the creek bed and took some time to get out. All of these items had to be carried individually out of the woods.
Even though I worked a little over two hours by myself, I enjoyed every minute of it. I never thought that cleaning up an area could make me feel so good. I talked to the homeowners' board president after cleaning up the common area, and he told me that one day they may turn that area into some sort of walking trail. I also sent in an article to the neighborhood newsletter asking our neighbors to keep the area clean. Volunteering does not only help the community, but it also helps each person feel like they have made a difference in the world.
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