Forty-seven volunteers, including 13 students representing four high schools, teamed with the Friends of Pennypack Park to collect 54 bags of litter from the park on March 28 in the FOPP’s first monthly cleanup event of the year.
The workers focused their efforts along Holme Avenue east of Roosevelt Boulevard, including the ballfield behind Nazareth Hospital and the median strip on the avenue, as well as hiking trails, beer party sites and an abandoned homeless camp inside the park. As a group, volunteers dedicated 122 hours to the project.
The volunteers included members of the George Washington High School Honor Society: Harry Hua, Adiel Izilov, Vani Jason, Rothana Kim, Alina Pugach, Junya Ren, Mariya Rudkivska and Cindy Zeng, along with GW alumna Allison Kaminsky. Central High’s Tom and Emily Eiler helped out along with their mom, Denise, as did Father Judge’s Joe and Dan Tiernan with their father, Joe Sr. Franklin Towne Charter’s Katya Rebensky joined the effort with her aunt, Kathy Volack. Community College of Philadelphia student Katelyn Doyle not only helped pick up the trash, she made a film of the project.
Additional volunteers included Paul, Kristen, Caroline and Emily Harris; Andrew Jr., Andrew III and Melanie Roberts; Skip and Vicki Schempp; Greg and Kelly Wilusz; Elsie Stevens; Mike Fagan; Linda Davies; Betty Landolfi; Alan Kaminsky; C. Ty Tyson; Roland Williams; Dean Lynd; Bob McMunn; James Morris; Alan Ostrow; Tom Palchick; Corinne Stobbe; Joyce Ferrero; Cindy Masiejczyk; Jim Smyth; Kevin Sweetra; and Nance Kerns.
In addition to 54 bags of litter, the workers gathered a bag of recyclable cans, three milk crates, six empty cans of spraypaint, seven black pots of various sizes, garden tools, nine cinderblocks, a frying pan, a broken picnic bench, lawn furniture, sports equipment, two compact discs, tools, a child’s swing, a sword blade, a bike rim, part of a rusty sled, car parts, a live shotgun shell, various glass bottles and a $20 bill. The cash was donated to the FOPP as were two sandwich bags full of pennies donated by Mary Jane and Dennis Hill.
In addition to the volunteers, Deputy Managing Director Tom Conway and a crew from the Community Life Improvement Program helped out by hauling away the collected trash. The FOPP contacted the 8th Police District to retrieve the live shotgun shell.
The next monthly cleanup will be on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Workers will meet at the Little City parking lot inside the park entrance on the 3200 block of Rhawn St. The FOPP will unveil its new Earth Day collectible button, an image of a bird drawn by Williams. Each year, Williams creates a new button design to commemorate Earth Day.
Volunteers should wear long pants and sleeves, along with closed-toe, comfortable shoes. Anyone needing sunscreen or bug spray should bring their own. The FOPP will supply gloves and tools. Call 215–934-PARK or email to [email protected] for information. ••
