Serving Others Sunday

This past Friday, my daughters and I joined their Spiral Scout troop in participating in The Green Apple Festival. It was an Earth Day event aimed at doing things to help our planet and to raise awareness that we need to do more.

Four of the six scouts as we waited for the bus.

The troop was assigned to help clean up Griffith Park and help restore the Los Angeles River. This translated for us into working along a bike path that had a view of both the river and a freeway offramp.

There is a duck swimming in the middle of the muck.

The Firefly and Pathfinder Leaders clean in the shadow of the freeway offramp.

We (the adults) were very proud of the kids. Each scout took to cleaning up the area with a dedication you do not often see of youth. They would shout triumphant when they were able to get a difficult piece of refuse away from the nature entangling it. Shouting to us to show us, it seemed more like we were on a fun scavenger hunt than cleaning up.

My daughter Ambrosia and fellow Firefly scout Brennan pick up trash.

My Spiral Scout Melody is starting to get cranky in the heat.

My Spiral Scout Kayla and fellow scout Jayd are getting trash out of the fence.

Pathfinder Leader Michael, Firefly Leader Heather, and Spiral Scout Jayd hard at work with a smile.

Pathfinder Scout Ivy, Firefly Leader Heather, and me with Beverlie in the Moby wrap.

We ended up filling 5 heavy duty trash bags in two hours. The most appalling thing about that, was the fact that we did all that not 200 yards from where we started. So many people had thoughtlessly thrown their garbage out the window as they got off the freeway. It was saddening.

I am very proud of my girls and the other scouts. They worked hard and not because they thought they would get something, but because it was the right thing to do.

What did you do to serve others this week?