Record-Breaking Number of Attendees at the West Augustine Nature Society MLK Cleanup Event in St. Augustine

It was a record-breaking day in West Augustine, as more than 100 cars were parked up and down the streets around the Webster School with people coming from all over St. Augustine and Jacksonville to participate in the Martin Luther King Day of Service Clean-Up Event hosted by the West Augustine Nature Society.

"The first community clean up that St. Augustine High helped them with there were only a few people, and it has really grown," said Suzanne Stauble, Spanish teacher and Interact Sponsor at St. Augustine High School. "I just want to encourage my students in the back that always do service. They're awesome. These were a few people who got together, and this is what it has led to. So, everybody one person can make a difference, just like Martin Luther King did." 

Interact is often one of the partners at the West Augustine Nature Society clean-up events, and St. Augustine High School had brought both Interact and National Honor Society students with them to the MLK Day of Service Clean-Up event. 

Interact at the MLK Day Clean-Up event

"I'm out here today because it is a really good opportunity to clean up a community and a school setting so that the students can have a better learning environment," said Eliza Dysart, who is a member of both Interact and the National Honor Society at St. Augustine High School. 

West Augustine families with the Baggett family from Elkton. 

"I'm here with my family," said Kim Owens Baggett from Elkton. "We came out today because we wanted to do something tangible to honor Martin Luther King and obviously helping out in the community was something that he was very passionate about."

The student-led West Augustine Nature Society had partnered with several local businesses and organizations, and they were honored and touched by the record-breaking participation. 

Robert Hanahan from Bethlehem, Connecticut with Charlie Bonfante and Rosalie Cocci from Pie in the Sky Community Alliance

"We deliver to senior citizens in the area and in the neighborhood," said Rosalie Cocci, the assistant senior food manager at Pie in the Sky Community Alliance, "and we thought it was appropriate for us to come out and clean the streets, and also to honor MLK Day and come out and do more service."

Jeffrey Rumlin from the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Pi Lambda Chapter had passionate words for the participants before they headed out into the community.

Joe Cinney from Learn To Read St. Johns with Brittany Glisson from St. Gerard's Campus and the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Pi Lambda Chapter cleaning up West King Street in West Augustine on MLK Day. 

"We're here as a part of this community service project," said Ron Coleman. "We're with a local fraternity called Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Pi Lambda Chapter based in Orange Park, Florida."

"As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said, it is always the right time to do what is right, and we are here to help out, said Joe Cinney from Learn To Read St. Johns, and Brittany Glisson from St. Gerard's Campus added. "I think it is important for us to serve our community. A lot of our girls from our school are born and raised here, and I would love to just give back to the community that has given so much to us."

T Mobile at the MLK Clean Up event

T Mobile from St. Augustine and Jacksonville brought a large team to the clean-up event, and they did not take any breaks. "To give back is the best thing we can do, especially for our community," said Carlos Solis. "Our group is out here today to really honor Dr. King and all the things that he has done in his life and continue to do through all of us."

Lauren Abell with 6th grade Murray Middle School students Connor Hinds and Caroline Larrabee as well as former Murray teacher Laura Hinds. 

"We wanted to find a project where we could help and serve," said Lauren Abell, who is running for the St. Johns County School Board, and she had brought her own team with her. 

"I used to teach at Murray Middle School, and I believe in this community and in the power of service said Laura Hinds," a former R.J. Murray Middle School teacher. Connor Hinds, a 6th-grade Murray Middle School student, added "I'm here in honor of Martin Luther King and to just carry on his glory," and his classmate Caroline Larrabee agreed. "I'm happy that so many people care so much about our community and about helping." 

2022 MLK Clean Up Event in West Augustine Nu Epsilon Sigma Chapter Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

The Nu Epsilon Sigma Chapter Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. brought a large group of their sorority members to the clean-up event, and some of them also brought family members along 

Joe Spivey from the Donut Experiment in St. Augustine dropped off doughnuts when the participants were out cleaning, and it was a tasty surprise that the hard-working clean-up participants appreciated. 

Joe Cinney from Learn To Read St. Johns and Kierra Smith West Augustine Nature Society Parent Advisor enjoying a sweet treat at the MLK Clean Up Event. 

At the end of the event prizes such as elderberry shrubs and passion fruit vines were raffled off, and both the local Bog Brewery in St. Augustine on West King Street and Learn To Read St. Johns provided gift cards as prizes to the clean-up participants.

There were so many bags of trash collected that it was difficult to count, but the clean-up participants collected more than 100 bags of trash plus bicycles, televisions, car seats, grocery carts, tires and more. 

After the MLK Day clean-up event, the organization invited everyone to come join them at the silent march downtown hosted by the Dr. Martin Luther King Celebration Committee of St. Johns County and the Flagler College Office of Diversity and Inclusion, where they would be joining the West Augustine Improvement Association and many other local organizations to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The West Augustine Received an award for having the most youth participate in the silent march, and after the march, anyone participating in the MLK Day of Service Clean-Up Event in West Augustine received free ice cream courtesy of Ben and Jerry's St. Augustine. 

The mission was to clean West King Street and the streets around the Webster School, and with more than 100 people coming to join in the effort, the cleanup was much easier than in the past, and piles of trash were collected in record time.

You can find out more about the West Augustine Nature Society here, and you can sign up to receive West Augustine Nature Society cleanup alerts here. 

*This piece was originally posted on the West Augustine News Connection on January 17, 2022.

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