I am the AmeriCorps VISTA for Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority (LHVA) in Scranton, PA. I coordinate the volunteer activities for LVHA.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Clarks Summit, PA contacted us because they wanted to bring church members out for a weekend community service event.

LHVA is currently building a 40-mile trail along the Lackawanna River. A mile and a half of it runs through Scranton and this section of the trail tends to be one of the dirtiest areas. We cleaned out over 60 bags of trash in April, but I knew that it was already dirty again and could use some more work.

We asked the church members if they’d like to do a trail clean-up, and they thought that it sounded like a great idea. Nine volunteers showed up ready to work and picked up about 10 bags of litter along the trail.

Cleaning up the trail makes it more pleasant for people to use, and seeing people working on the trail encourages others to take better care of it.

Coincidently, we did the clean-up just a week before a charity Father’s Day race that was using the trail as part of the race route! So those involved in the race were able to enjoy all of our hard work.