Clearlake >> Citizens Caring 4 Clearlake have their sights set on a dump site in the Avenues. From a mother with her daughter to retired couples and individuals, about a dozen volunteers started cleaning the area Tuesday morning and will continue every day until the job is complete.
“It gives you a good feeling of satisfaction,” Karin Diaz said.
She recently started chemotherapy, but said volunteering with the organization these last few months and seeing the difference just a few hours of cleaning can do keeps her motivated and her spirits up.
On their first day of cleaning, the group managed to clear a significant portion of the dump site where locals drop off trash to get around paying disposal fees. They raked and picked through years’ worth of garbage; lugged tires, sofas and recliners up and down steep hills and road.
While many Clearlake residents, including several of the day’s volunteers, live in the Avenues, it is still a largely poor and underdeveloped area. Often, signs posted in front of homes or in front yards indicate what city street signs should say, such as “SLOW CHILDREN AT PLAY” and most roads are dirt and covered with potholes. The Avenues is in a city plagued with lack of funds, and it can’t afford to pay the man hours necessary to properly dispose of the piles of debris.
“People say they can’t afford universal garbage pickup, but we can’t afford not to do it,” volunteer Elliot Naess said.
This dilemma is what inspired Citizens Caring 4 Clearlake about a year ago. Since then, volunteers have cleaned up multiple dump sites and through the process have recruited more participants who stop by to thank them for what they are doing.
“It’s building a sense of community, hopefully it can expand,” Diaz said.
Organizer Barbara Christwitz estimated it will take about a week to finish the job. They are moving the trash into larger piles, which city staff has promised to pick up once completed.
Volunteers will be at the dump site from 10 a.m. to noon. To help and for instructions on how to find the location, call Christwitz at (707) 995-0940.
