Chatham-Kent (CK) –
CK Paddle & Clean took place on October 9, 2021. This was an ‘Imagine McGregor’ event originally planned for the last weekend of September – postponed due to high water levels. 1107.4 lbs. of litter was collected this past Saturday, at the Thamesgrove park in Chatham! Participants gave back Thanksgiving weekend, paddling the Thames River and McGregor Creek, removing garbage along the way. On shore, recyclables were sorted and the garbage was weighed. The event ran from 10 am to 3:30 pm and was a great success!
The Sunrise Rotary was a huge help in making the day successful, with volunteers checking people in, and weighing and sorting garbage. The club has made clean water a club priority since 2015, when they initiated the Clean Water for Living program (cleanwaterforliving.com). Clean Water for Living asks everyone to step up their efforts to respect and protect local water. The club is pleased to be a partner with the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) on several projects, including the CK Paddle & Clean. Through active involvement by many people in CK, we will foster a cleaner healthier Thames River. “I do believe that small positive acts by many people can transform the world,” said John Lawrence, Chair of Clean Water for Living, “and CK Paddle & Clean is a good example, combining with thousands of similar projects occurring around the world on National River Cleanup Day.”
A goal of the ‘Imagine McGregor’ initiative is to bring community partners together to make events like these possible. A number of local groups contributed to the success of CK Paddle & Clean. In addition to the help from the Rotary Club of Chatham Sunrise volunteers, supporters from the Rotary Club of Chatham cleaned up the shoreline along McGregor Creek. The Stronghouse Twin Dolphin Canada Corp. had volunteers come out and they donated funds to purchase hemp fabric t-shirts for the participants. These shirts were made locally in Chatham by Hereafter. SignRageous donated the printing of the t-shirt design. Participants collected garbage in mesh bags donated by Lloyd Bag Co. and used them to drag items behind their boats. Water Hut provided the water refill station. Finally, the garbage bin and subsequent collection was donated by Waste Connections of Canada. We are grateful to all our partners, who brought the community together for the common goal of making our waterways, and ultimately our community a better place, one small piece of litter at a time.
For further information contact:
Anastasia Heuvelmans – LTVCA Imagine McGregor Coordinator
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