Community Corner

Lake Allatoona Cleanup This Weekend

The annual Great Lake Allatoona Cleanup, which draws 3,500 volunteers to collect garbage from 250 miles of shoreline, will take place this Saturday, Sept. 22.

The 12 volunteers heading up this year's Great Lake Allatoona Cleanup "truly believe in the multi-faceted benefits" of the September effort considered the largest of its type in the country.

It's meant to lead the Lake Allatoona community in environmental stewardship of the watershed through education, preservation, conservation and volunteerism.

"In addition to cleaning up the shoreline of this very valuable resource, we also see the cleanup as a wonderful way of teaching environmental stewardship and responsibility to children and adults," the committee said in a press release. "Additionally, the event instills the value and benefits of volunteerism in key members of the community."

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Organizers for this year's Sept. 22 cleanup recently began their fundraising and volunteer recruiting efforts. For more than 27 years, thousands from Bartow, Cherokee and Cobb counties and elsewhere have come together for one Saturday to collect trash left by others along 250 miles of lake shoreline.

Each year, more than 3,500 volunteers, comprised primarily of local scouts, collect tons of garbage. Other volunteer groups include those from marinas, neighborhoods, churches, and civic and corporate organizations.

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Committee members are reaching out to the community for donations in support of the cleanup. Contact Jimmy Durham at 404-791-5071 or jdurham9739@gmail.com to donate. To volunteer for the cleanup, visit www.GreatAllatoonaCleanUp.org to register.

Organizers also announced two new additions for this year.

Graphic Design students led by Cartersville High School instructor Valerie Webb are competing for the opportunity to create a poster to be used to promote the cleanup in the three counties surrounding Lake Allatoona.

As a token of appreciation, volunteers will be treated to a picnic and party at Riverside Day Use Area. Local nonprofits focusing on children, education and the environment, will be invited to set up information tables.

"In years past we have had over 1,400 participants at the picnic. The majority of the picnickers are scouts, school children and their parents," organizers said. "We feel that this would be a great place for like-minded and like-missioned organizations to spread the word about their programs."


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