Evelyn’s Advice on Organizing, Sponsoring and Pulling Off Troop Service Projects Like Park Clean Ups

 

            Over the past two years, my Girl Scout troop has organized and sponsored two service unit park cleanup days, which were packed full of cleaning fun!!  One was quite successful, the other… not so successful.  I was baffled as to what would make one event wildly successful and another, almost identical, event an utter failure.  After close examination of both events, I have come up with what I feel to the best way to organize a park cleanup.  I am posting these practical steps so that any troop considering holding a park cleanup will enjoy a more consistent success rate than my troop did.  Good luck and happy cleaning!!

 

Part One:  Deciding to clean a park

            Okay so this is the most obvious step, but it happens to be a very important one.  Your troop should get together and consider if cleaning up a park is something they would want to do. (It might help to have a specific park in mind.  My troop chose Henderson Park.)  As a troop, go over the logistics of the possibility; like what you would need and roughly when it would take place.

 

Part Two:  Planning the event

            Now that you have decided to clean a park, you can draw up a supplies list.  HUZZAH!!!  Our list went something like this: A plethora of trash bags, some donated grocery bags, a whole lot of examination gloves (please, please, please get non-latex gloves.  You don’t want an ambulance ride due to latex allergies to become part of the day’s festivities), and some work clothes (a little dirt can’t hurt).  Feel free to add something that you feel is missing from the list, such as a water stand for thirsty cleaners.

 

Part Three:  Planning when to clean

            You should always let the county know that you are cleaning their park; they might have certain days that are better for such an event than others.  Now you can choose a day to clean.  Hint: avoid anything in the dead of winter or in peak vacationing season.  This insures that you get as many helpers as possible (our second and less successful cleanup day was in June and we had no one other than our troop members show up).   Anything in spring is a good choice…except spring break.

 

Part Four: Getting the word out

            Let as many troops know about your plans as is humanly possible.  We made a flyer that went to the service unit meeting about two months before our clean up was planned.  I personally ended up calling all the leaders in our service unit to let them know of our plans.  Brownies are really enthusiastic, but they need more adult supervision, so try hard for the older girls.  Make sure that Brownie leaders know that adult supervision is required according to Safety Wise.   I suggest calling the leaders more than once, giving people a chance to let the information sink in.

            The first call should be a few weeks in advance.  Just let people know when you’re holding a park clean up and any help would be greatly appreciated.  The second call should be more specific.  Let them know exactly where and when and what time to meet you. 

 

 

 Part Five:  Almost There!

            Picture this scenario:  Your clean up was a huge success.  Troops from all over the service unit showed up and collected a truck-load of trash.  You take the trash and you put it. . .um-m-m. . .you put it. . . .    Get my point?  Always work out what you do with the trash.  Sometimes the county park system will tell you what they want you to do with the trash when you call them.  If not, then call your county wide waste management, and ask them what to do.  

 

Part Six:  Clean Up and Have Fun

            I should mention that our really successful clean up was held in conjunction with a service unit bridging ceremony in the park.  That may have been one reason for our success.  There was food and applause and lots of parents to help, too.  Probably planning your clean up with some fun stuff is a good idea.  You also might want to record your observations of your first clean up so that you have the facts if you do it again.