Upper Gibsons got a good tidying up on Monday, thanks to 19 energetic students, three local teachers, two civic-minded businessmen and a band of enthusiastic volunteers.
The volunteers conceived the idea of a cash-for-trash project earlier this spring as part of ongoing preparations for Gibsons' entry into this year's province-wide Communities in Bloom (CIB) competition. Dealing with litter is a never-ending battle, one that the CIB committee members knew they could not fight alone, so a call for solutions went out to about 50 local businesses, first by letter then by telephone, followed by a meeting of minds at Gibsons council on March 29. Ideas for running a cash-for-trash project evolved from those discussions.
Lana Noble of Starbucks suggested that the CIB committee apply for her company's "Make-Your-Mark" assistance program, in which teams of volunteers can earn up to $1,000 towards any worthy cause, including clean-up initiatives. By the time a workable plan was in place, however, those funds were spoken for until mid-summer, too late, unfortunately, for the arrival of provincial judges on July 16.
Fortunately, Klaus Fuerniss of Tim Hortons and Wendy's stepped up with a seed donation, which was quickly matched by Marketplace IGA's Bob Hoy. With funding in place, the CIB Committee had no problem matching the money with a suitable group.
The student challenge program is a group of students and volunteering adults heading for Costa Rica later in July to participate in a sea turtle research mission. They need all the money they can get to cover costs, so they were glad to participate. "Rain or shine, we'll be there," said Paul Bishop, one of the student challenge program coordinators. In Costa Rica, the group will be staying in Ostinial, a designated "Blue Flag Community" because of its commitment to achieving sustainable environmental and resource management. Later in the week, members of the Sunshine Coast Association for Community Living did a final sweep-up of Gibsons Landing, just in time for the judges' arrival.
Helping local youth groups meet their fundraising goals in turn helps the CIB committee achieve some of their aims. Businesses, whose funding is essential to the success of the project, gain recognition for taking a proactive stance toward a community-wide problem.
Youth learn beneficial lessons about civic and environmental pride while getting a close-up-and-personal view of the litter problem and its solution. And they get rewarded for their efforts. The cash-for-trash project is definitely a win-win situation all around.
