YMSLVO & Clean Fairfax Practice Environmental Stewardship

Young Men’s Service League Vienna-Oakton (YMSLVO) partnered with Clean Fairfax to improve Ragland Road Park in Vienna, Virginia by removing 1.43 tons of trash and replacing worn picnic tables as part of the organization’s “Ultimate Gift” initiative.

Young Men’s Service League (YMSL) is a national service organization that initiates and encourages young men and their mothers to pursue philanthropic involvement in their community. Each year the YMSL sponsors Ultimate Gift events across the country encouraging their 75 chapters to identify projects that engage their membership and benefit their local communities and can have a significant impact in a single day. Inspiration for the Ultimate Gift Project came from a novel of the same name by Jim Stovall and is intended to “kick start” the giving season. YMSL estimates that this year’s Ultimate Gift will perform 13,662 hours of service in their local communities across the nation.

Clean Fairfax is a non-profit organization founded in 1985 whose mission is to encourage environmental stewardship and urban sustainability in Fairfax County, Virginia through advocacy, education, and community involvement.

The Vienna-Oakton Chapter of YMSL worked closely with Clean Fairfax, to identify areas of need in Fairfax County. On Sunday, November 5, YMSLVO’s 89 mothers and their high school freshman, sophomore and junior sons embraced the chapter’s third Ultimate Gift project by collecting and disposing of 100 bags of trash, weighing 1.43 tons, from the Chesapeake Watershed in Ragland Road Park, near Tysons Corner. Collectively, the YMSLVO chapter members volunteered 242 hours to clean and restore Ragland Road Park. Participants also built picnic tables to replace damaged ones in the Fairfax County Park. Clean Fairfax leaders made a presentation to the volunteers that provided a heightened awareness of the impact personal choices can make in protecting and preserving our environment.

"It is always a good day when we can get a bunch of young men (and their moms!) together to make a significant contribution to the health of our streams and parks. Getting out there and seeing the enormous amount of litter--stuff that they might use in their everyday lives--water and soft drink bottles, and plastic bags especially--is a great way to rethink our own place in the litter life cycle and maybe make better decisions so that those items never end up in the stream and parks. Clean Fairfax would love to work with YMSLVO any time-- such energetic and dedicated volunteers dedicated to making an impact in their communities!" Jen Cole, Clean Fairfax representative.

“Seeing what we were able to accomplish on a single day and leaving Raglan Park better than we found it was so rewarding and we thank Clean Fairfax for sharing their mission of environmental stewardship with us,” said Helen Bath, YMSLVO’s President.

Young Men’s Service League Vienna-Oakton is a nonprofit organization that provides members and their sons the opportunity to volunteer in our community, improve leadership skills, and develop new life skills. In addition to philanthropy work with YMSLVO’s slate of 22 area charities, boys attend six meetings a year designed to expand their knowledge and experience in a variety of topics focused on social skills, making choices, health/nutrition and life/practical skills. Meetings are organized and led by boys; each plays an active role representing their position of responsibility. YMSLVO will be accepting applications for the Class of 2022 beginning in January 2018.

Clean Fairfax Council began as a litter control task force in 1978, established by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to implement an anti-litter campaign. In 1985, the organization became a private nonprofit. Clean Fairfax Council educates the citizens of Fairfax County, Virginia on litter prevention and control, supports the county recycling program, discourages graffiti, promotes sustainability and provides environmental education to residents, businesses and students. The Council is a founding member of the Virginia Council for Litter Prevention and Recycling.