Beach Cleanup
For the past 14 years my buddy Miller Bassler and his wife Kathie (who is my cousin) have spearheaded a beach cleanup project in Port Mansfield, Texas. Port Mansfield is on the Gulf Coast about 140 miles driving distance south of Corpus Christi, and Miller and Kathie have a second home there.
The beaches in this area attract a large amount of trash either from people littering on the sand or in the water which then washes up onto the sand. Their efforts to clean the beaches started as a small group with limited resources and mostly funded by Miller and Kathie. It has now grown into a major undertaking involving close to 250 volunteers and 40 boat owners who provide their time for one day each year. They also now have sponsors which this year raised over $25,000 (the Flencher family from Somerville is one of the long time sponsors).
My wife Patti and I who live in California attended our first cleanup in June of this year. We were both amazed at the planning and coordination that goes into making this event successful.
The Friday night before the cleanup, Miller and Kathie hosted a seafood dinner with an open bar at their home. Because of the early start time the next morning everyone headed to their accommodations (which were provided to them at no charge for two nights) about 9:00 that evening. Saturday morning started with a complimentary breakfast for everyone at the Port Mansfield pavilion and directions on how the day’s activities would occur. There was a local man who gave a safety presentation and emphasized the importance of staying hydrated since the Texas sun can get a little on the toasty side.
Each person who volunteered received a shirt to protect against the weather. There were also many cases of water on each boat and a box lunch for each person. After a group picture, which was taken by a drone because of the large number of people, the boats left about 8:00 in the morning, and the work was completed about 2:30 in the afternoon. When the boats returned to shore, the many bags of trash were loaded onto trucks for disposal. After everyone had a chance to relax for a few hours, a taco bar dinner was provided for all of the volunteers at the Port Mansfield pavilion that night.
People who came to help out in the cleanup came from all over Texas and Louisiana. Miller and Kathie have truly made a mark with their community commitment, and it was evident by the number of people who participated to support the project. They do a wonderful job and the best part is they plan to keep it going for years to come.
enough