April 28th was a big day for San Diego. Three organizations known for their volunteerism all chose THIS day to serve in their communities. “I Love a Clean San Diego”, The Rotary Club and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined together to clean up local canyons and creeks. This day commemorates the annual Statewide Mormon Helping Hands Day of Service and the Rotarians at Work Day of Service.
Two-hundred eighteen local members of The San Diego East Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the La Mesa Rotary Club volunteered at six sites chosen by the Creek-to-Bay Clean-up Program. They removed debris, weeds and trash; and cleared vegetation and cut trees for three hours on Saturday morning. Participants ranging from small children to senior citizens put on the signature Mormon Helping Hands yellow vests and the dark blue Rotarian logo shirts and went to work in creek beds, along roadsides and down in the canyons.
Their service was well received. Residents came out and voiced their appreciation, store owners thanked them for cleaning up the neighborhood and drivers honked their horns to cheer them on. The Rotary International and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church/Mormons) both schedule service projects to give back to their communities throughout the world. The current economic downturn has been challenging for local governments to maintain community services; Mormon Helping Hands Day and Rotarian Work Day are both ways to contribute. These two organizations have strong commitments to service and enjoyed working side by side this Saturday.
The organizers of “I Love A Clean San Diego” were grateful to have so many local volunteers. The site Captain at the University Channel location acknowledged that this is the most volunteers they’ve ever had. City of San Diego Councilmember Marti Emerald also sent her admiration and appreciation for the volunteers.
