Six members of Youth Advocate Programs cleaned up Connell Park in Scranton.
SCRANTON, Pa. — Whether it was picking out wet weeds or the crumple of litter as it made its way from the ground to a trash bag, these kids did a lot to make Connell Park in Scranton a little nicer on Monday.
“We have the same six kids with us every day. We work Monday through Friday. We visit any parks in Scranton that are on the schedule,” said Michael Anthony.
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He and Ashley Harte oversee the group of six kids who are involved with Youth Advocate Programs.
For years, Anthony says the nonprofit out of Dunmore has worked with the City of Scranton to help spruce up area parks and recreation centers.
“These places are really busy around the holidays, especially the 4th of July, right? I mean, there’s tons of garbage everywhere, and it’s, I mean, it’s always nice to have a clean community,” said Anthony.
Members do everything from cleaning sites and landscaping to much more.
But this trip saw the group start their day weeding and planting some new flowers before moving to trash pickup.
“Been seeing a lot of water bottle caps, Gatorade bottles,” said Rhys Jones.
With the help of some grabbers, the staff sorted through the mulch looking for litter while Richard Bagley stood by waiting to collect it.
“I find it quite satisfying, like plucking out weeds, cleaning up garbage,” said Bagley. “It’s fun work.”
A little hard work goes a long way in keeping these parks clean and ready for playing.