Photo By Chief Petty Officer Stacy Atkins Ricks | 150509-N-IK388-031 SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Hull Maintenance Technician 1st Class...... read more read more
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SAN DIEGO – Drizzly rain and grey skies did not stop nearly 550 Sailors and San Diego community members from hitting the streets to spruce things up during the Main Street Clean Up event hosted by Naval Base San Diego, May 9.
Volunteers representing 23 commands across San Diego County, from as north as Riverside, gathered at Mariner’s Park to participate in the clean up event, and help foster a stronger relationship with the community. Commanding Officer of Naval Base San Diego Capt. Curt Jones believed the impact of the event would yield a trifecta of results.
“The first impact is just getting this trash off of our streets so it doesn’t end up in the creeks or in the bay,” said Jones. “Secondly, it’s a way for us to give back to the community. San Diego supports us incredibly and this is part of our service back to them.”
Jones expressed that the third impact of this event will weigh heavily on influencing relationships between service members, their families, and the community.
“When we talk about the community’s support for us that’s where it starts to hit home, helping out with our spouses and families when we are out deployed so this is a way to build those bonds as tightly as we can.”
The connection between service members, family, and community were quite evident as many active duty volunteers joined their spouses and children at the event as a family experience.
The event opened with a greeting form the Mayor of National City Ron Morrison. Large crowds gathered at the bottom of the amphitheater to receive the Mayor’s message of gratitude.
After a quick safety brief, Jones took to the microphone to send the mob off with a cheer. The large crowd split into two groups to comb the north and south routes of Main Street collecting nearly 2,000 pounds of trash.
To keep the crowd motivated, event coordinators implemented the “Most Interesting Find” contest, challenging the volunteers to haul in the weirdest and wackiest pieces of garbage they could find.
Sailors assigned to amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) took home the win with their “Cable Cart” of trash. The team wrangled up a shopping cart of decaying tree branches, blankets, and Styrofoam products, adorned with a rusty metal sign that read “Cable” and a novelty hubcap.
Other close entries included the dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor’s (LSD 52) “Morale, Welfare, and Recreation starter kit” which included one running shoe, a deflated basketball, and a plastic milk crate as a hoop. Also pitted against the others were a bone collection, discarded VHS tapes, old paintings, and a Christmas tree.
“This was really a family event and we just wanted to make it fun and do something great for the community,” said Chief Operations Specialist Adarian Searcy, assigned to Naval Base San Diego Unaccompanied Housing Office. “We will be sending out a message for volunteers in the future as well.”
While this event focused mostly on the areas in Barrio Logan community, the crew plans to take their sanitation objectives to the National City area in the fall. Jones and others expressed their desire to see these efforts continue in the future.
“Being in the Navy can be challenging but being out in the community is another way to contribute to your service and grow as an individual,” said Jones. “It makes a difference.”
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.11.2015 17:42 |
| Story ID: | 162931 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 291 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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