Dr. Karen Bell

Keep Liberty Beautiful

There is something special about watching young people roll up their sleeves, put on a pair of gloves, and get to work for their community.

That is one reason Rivers Alive is so important to Liberty County. Next Saturday, October 24, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Keep Liberty Beautiful will bring volunteers together at the Liberty County Community Complex in Midway for a morning dedicated to protecting our waterways and keeping our community clean, green, and beautiful.

One of the most hopeful parts of Rivers Alive is seeing children, students, Scouts, 4-H members, church youth groups, and families working side by side. For Elvis Mack Jr., Keep Liberty Beautiful Program Assistant, getting young people involved is about much more than picking up litter.

“When our youth participate in Rivers Alive, they are not just cleaning up a roadway, park, or waterway,” Mack said. “They are learning that they have a role in the community. They are learning that their actions matter and that they can make a difference right here in Liberty County.”

Those are lessons that can stay with a young person long after the cleanup is over. Our young people spend their days learning about the environment in school. They learn how litter can travel from streets and sidewalks into storm drains and eventually into our rivers, streams, and other waterways. Rivers Alive gives them the chance to put that classroom knowledge into action.

“When a young person picks up that first piece of trash, they begin to understand that keeping our environment clean isn’t somebody else’s job,” Mack said. “It is something we all have a responsibility to do.”

Those hands-on experiences are some of the most valuable lessons we can give our young people.

Leadership isn’t always about standing in front of a group or being the person in charge. Sometimes leadership is simply showing up, putting on a pair of gloves, and doing what needs to be done. When our young people see their parents, grandparents, teachers, and neighbors volunteering, they learn what community leadership really looks like.

We invest in young people by inviting them to serve alongside us. When they work beside their families and friends, they see community care in action. They learn that clean water is not automatic. It takes people who care enough to protect it. Mack believes those experiences can have an impact that reaches far beyond one Saturday morning.

“Today’s young volunteers are tomorrow’s parents, business owners, community leaders, and decision-makers,” he said. “If we teach them now to respect their environment and take pride in where they live, they will carry those values forward.”

Rivers Alive also reminds us that keeping Liberty County clean, green, and beautiful doesn’t belong to one person or one organization. It belongs to all of us. Whether you have volunteered at a cleanup before or this will be your first time, you are welcome. Keep Liberty Beautiful will provide the supplies, free T-shirts, and guidance needed to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable morning.

C ome enjoy the outdoors, meet your neighbors, bring your children, and make a difference for our environment. Most importantly, bring our young people. Give them an opportunity to serve, to lead, and to see firsthand that they have the power to make a difference.

As Mack put it, “If we want to see a cleaner and more beautiful Liberty County tomorrow, we have to give our young people the opportunity to help build it today.”

For more information about Rivers Alive, contact Keep Liberty Beautiful at (912) 880-4888, email klcb@libertycountyga. gov, or visit www. keeplibertybeautiful. org. Follow Keep Liberty Beautiful on Facebook for the latest event updates and volunteer opportunities. To learn more about Rivers Alive statewide, visit riversalive. georgia.gov.