Once again, Senor Sol smiled upon the Rotary Road Waste Warriors for the spring 2022 Adopt-A-Highway trash pickup on I-94. Sixteen warriors attacked highway blight at a speed equaled only by the metal hulks hurtling past them. 57 bags of trash, assorted car parts, hubcaps, pieces of tires, numerous masks, articles of clothing, a smartphone, credit cards, bungy cords, 600 surgical gloves, and one new shoe were collected. Debate still rages about numbering a discarded Port-a-Potty as 1 or 2 items.

The smartphone, missing since last summer, was in surprisingly good shape with enough of a charge to determine the grateful owner and return it.

The following story, submitted through the Club’s website, is a testimonial to how Rotary makes a difference in the world:

This past Saturday, I drove east on I-94 while my 7 year old grandson lamented the copious amount of trash on the roadside. “Yesterday was EARTH DAY!” He continued calling out the trash he saw and to say that I heard it more times than I can count is an understatement.
On our way home, I saw bagged trash the closer I got to State Street. We exited at State Street and made a point to thank the two gentlemen near the stop light.
I drove the boys home later in the afternoon to a lovely subdivision in Plymouth. Gavin had mentioned that in the wooded area behind his house, it appeared that it had been a dumping ground for ages. (cardboard, building materials, plastic and glass bottles, etc.)
He was home for only a few minutes before he took the initiative to don some rubber gloves, grab a trash bag, and head into ‘his woods’. He came out of the woods with an entire trash bag filled, and then returned to fill two more.
Thank you. If you ever wonder if you make a difference, look no further than a 7 year old who saw someone dare to make a difference in a sea of trash and decide that he could do it too.
Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of this GG’s heart.
Jeanne Franks

The fall 2022 Adopt-A-Highway trash pickup is scheduled for Saturday, October, 1.

*An expression of heartfelt gratitude to those listed below who lived up to Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self” and helped contribute to the successful day.

Don Deatrick, Don Duquette, Karl Edelmann, Jim Egerdal, Michael Field, Robert Holmes, Judy Kesler, Steve Kesler, Tom Millard, Mark Ouimet, Dan Romanchik, Abhi Sastry, John Sepp, Leo Shedden, John White, Fanfan Zheng.

Special thanks to Club photographer Fred Beutler.

Submitted by Tom Millard