Youth volunteers chip in; help with Shelby Township spring cleaning

Parents may have trouble getting children to clean their rooms or rake the yard, but it was no problem to get more than 200 youths to help welcome spring in Shelby Township’s parks and grounds for Global Youth Service Day April 12.

Held April 11 to April 13 this year, Global Youth Service Day strives to get young people from across the globe to take an active role in making their communities a better place to live. In Shelby Township, that included picking up litter, spreading wood chips and cleaning grounds from the Veterans Memorial to River Bends Park and all points in between.

“The fact that we had more than 200 kids and 346 total volunteers take part in this event in its first year speaks to the level of pride people in our community have for our parks and other quality of life infrastructure,” Township Supervisor Rick Stathakis said. “And it was a great way for parents to make sure kids have an investment in the community and an appreciation for honest, hard work.”

The event was organized by Sue Lytle, who is active in her daughters’ Girl Scout troop, UCS Cadette Troop 70047 of Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan. Lytle, Deputy Supervisor Brad D. Bates and Parks, Recreation and Maintenance Director Joe Youngblood coordinated the event after a chance encounter.

“Ms. Lytle came to Township Hall seeking information on an entirely different event and overheard me speaking about the need for volunteer help to maintain the grounds surrounding the Veterans Memorial,” Bates said. “She then organized a large group of scouts and youths that well exceeded the scope of the work at our Memorial. Luckily, Joe Youngblood and our amazing Parks Department have no shortage of work this time of year.”

“We have an outstanding system of parks throughout the Township and the way they stay outstanding is through a lot of hard work on the part of our Parks, Recreation and Maintenance staff and volunteers,” Youngblood said. “And having more than 300 volunteers this time of year really helped us get a jump on our spring cleaning.”

That conversation led to volunteers from as far away as Lansing pitching in to clean up in all of the Township’s parks and municipal grounds before ending with a complimentary pizza lunch provided by Jet’s Pizza and the Shelby Township Lions Club and a chance for the younger volunteers to take part in the annual Easter Egg Scramble at River Bends Park.

“Originally, I was seeking information for my daughter’s Silver Award project supporting Friends of Foster Kids,” Lytle said. “But after hearing the Veterans Memorial needed help too, it was a great opportunity to enlist our local youth and take part in the amazing initiative that is the Global Youth Service Day.”

Lytle’s daughter Meghan and three of her peers in Troop 70047 are organizing a community awareness event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 3 at River Bends Park for Friends of Foster Kids -- a local charity that provides support for Macomb County children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect.

“It truly is an amazing thing to see our local youths taking such an active role in supporting those in need in our community,” Stathakis said. “Everyone, young and old alike, needs to follow the example set by these kids and do something, no matter how large or small, to make the world a better place for someone else.”

Along with the event a fundraiser 5K run/walk will benefit Friends of Foster Kids May 3. For more information or to register for the Friends of Foster Kids 5K Angel Run/Walk contact Sue Lytle at (586) 677-3263