Volunteering for the James

At the James River Association, we love our volunteers. People just like you give their precious time to help us create a cleaner, healthier watershed. Meet Ivy McCarron who works for Lynchburg’s YMCA. Ivy and her colleagues participated in our Self-Directed Trash Cleanup program. Here’s what she had to say about her experience:

When we were offered the chance to volunteer for community projects, I have to say that there is nothing anything else that we would rather be doing as the YMCA of Central Virginia Young Professionals Group.  As working professionals within the YMCA, we are naturally interested in wellness.  On our time off from being busy directors and coordinators, we really enjoy running and biking on the Black Water Creek Trail. 

The James River runs along the Black Water Creek Trail right through Lynchburg’s downtown near the location of our Downtown Branch.  When one of our members recommended doing a river cleanup, we jumped at the opportunity!  Our YMCA group had a total of 13 volunteers ranging from 22 to 35 years of age.  We spent about four hours cleaning the trail, resulting in five bags of trash gathered; including an old car tire. That day we also ran into a group of our YMCA Summer Camp kids who were on a nature walk.  We walked and sang camp songs with them along the way! 

Volunteering for our community is always fun and rewarding for us, but the James River cleanup was unique not only because it cleaned up somewhere we all enjoy on our time off, but we had yet another opportunity to share with the next generation the benefits of service to our community.

Are you interested in cleaning up the James? If so, register for the 16^th Annual James River Regional Cleanup on Saturday 9/12. There are 14 locations throughout the watershed, so where ever you live, you can jump in and help out!