Renee Blanco (standing) and Leann Heredia
By Mary Walton
Girl Scout leader Lee Warner came from Ocean Township with four members of Troop 1095.
Micah Espina, 18, a Neptune resident, signed up to get credit for a service learning project to satisfy a Brookdale College requirement.
And Manalapan High School seniors Tyler Ahlf and Tom Garcia, both 17, said they volunteered as project captains because they value the environment. Garcia belongs to the National Honor Society, as does Ahlf, who is also a member of SAVE, an environmental club.
Logan Perez lends his back to Cassie Lauletti for paperwork. Both attend Manalapan High School.
The occasion was the annual Beach Sweep sponsored by Clean Ocean Action. At towns up and down the shore, volunteers registered at tables where snacks and drinks were on hand, then donned gloves and headed out to the beach armed with two plastic bags for garbage and recyclables. They also had paperwork to fill out, dividing what they collected into categories.
By 10 a.m. on Saturday, 19 volunteers had descended on Ocean Grove, with the largest contingent from Manalapan High. Among them were Leann Heredia, 14, and Renee Blanco, 15. “We just do it to help,” Leann said. And also for extra curriculum points.
Grovers themselves were noticeably MIA.
There would have been more students, Ahlf said, but “today’s a big testing day.” In a contest between cleaning up the beach and the PSATs, the beach didn’t have a chance.
Beach Sweep captains Tom Garcia (left) and Tyler Ahlf give instructions to Lee Warner and her Scouts. Photos by Mary Walton
This is wonderful. Quite a contrast between these young people and those others who cruised through Ocean Grove at night smashing windows with rocks.
Good work by these young people. Just wondering. . .Grovers might not have been MIA if they knew that this event was going to take place with out-ot-town volunteers.
JW — Good point. Blogfinger had no advance word on this. I’m guessing neither did others in OG.
These are young people who are making a difference. They certainly should be commended for their good work
Clean Ocean Action is the group that sponsors these beach clean ups. If you look them up online you can get in on the next one! Ocean Grove is a magical place but the cleanups go on all along the coast. These kids give me hope for the future. There were many moms there also setting good examples for the kids.