Volunteering Before I Volunteer

Sometimes things seem harder than they should be and therefore just aren’t meant to be. And other times, things just fall into your lap. After searching and emailing and calling various organizations in New Orleans as well as Habitat for Humanity branches in the tri-state area, I concluded that it wasn’t meant to be – I can go to New Orleans next winter, and maybe volunteer locally with Habitat sometime when I return.

And then a service opportunity came my way. When my sister comes out here, she walks on the beach, and last year she started collecting trash on her walks. Last weekend she said she wanted to start a blog about the trash, and I set it up for her. Check it out at www.sweptashore.blogspot.com. She’s in New York City during the week and this weekend, so I have been collecting and photographing the trash in her stead. I do feel as though this is my service project – for the community here, and also for my sister! When we were setting up the blogs we googled variations of “trash on the beach” and one of the first pictures that came up was of Manila Bay! Coincidence?

This coming week, if I am here (which is still to be determined), I’m going to participate in a more formal beach cleanup out in Quogue, with Peconic Baykeeper. This warms my heart not only because I can do it for (and with!) my sister, but also because a friend of mine is the Executive Director of Save the Bay in San Francisco and another friend was Executive Director of what is now called Milwaukee Riverkeeper. Our water is a precious resource!

The beach I’ve been cleaning is on the ocean, and the bay I’d be cleaning is brackish; all too soon, I’ll have to stay out of fresh water – in the Philippines there’s schistosomiasis, which wikipedia calls “the second most socioeconomically devastating parasitic disease after malaria.” Go to wikipedia to learn more – warning though, it’s not mealtime or bedtime reading! To leave on a positive note, I’ll mention International Coastal Cleanup Day, September 19, 2009 – even though it’s sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy, you can also clean up lakes and rivers! Let’s all do it!