Saturday, July 24, the City of Wharton Beautification Commission, along with volunteers joined in on Wharton’s Burnell Neal’s vision of honoring the late Greg Baines by cleaning the streets on the west end of Wharton.
Neal approached the committee to plan a day to pick up trash along the roadways, near Just Do It Now — a community organization Baines founded.
Around 20 volunteers met at the site and collected roadside trash in bags.
“When we drove down the area we would be working on, it didn’t appear there was a large amount of trash,” Wharton Beautification Commission member Debbie Folks told The County Gin.
To the volunteer’s surprise, the trash picked up that day filled the back of a pickup truck and trailer.
The crews ended the morning cleanup with hotdogs, chips and drinks provided through donations and prepared by Neal.
Folks said the day was a success, although there is still a need for further days like this.
“[The Beautification Commission] hopes that days like this continue all over the city,” she said.
The committee has also introduced an “Adopt a Planter” program to keep with their mission of keeping Wharton beautiful.
“We invite anyone, business or individual, to adopt a planter through the city,” Folks said. “It’s very simple, you plant what plants you’d like and maintain the planter to keep everything neat and pretty.”
To learn more about the movement and how you can help keep Wharton clean, visit Wharton’s Beautification Commission on Facebook.
Youngsters contribute to community beautification
Just days prior to the Baines cleaning, members of the Caney Creek Watershed Conservation Foundation Summer Youth Program contributed to Wharton’s beauty.
The social media post from the organization said, “[We] had the honor of having seven youth who gave back to the community of Wharton. Participants learned valuable life and work skills.”
The work from both groups doesn’t go unnoticed, and is greatly appreciated. Let’s hope this is only a taste of what is to come to Wharton. Keep up the great work!
