Spring cleaning is usually associated with cleaning out closets and scrubbing window panes, but the Eudora Community Library looked outside the house to organize a trash clean up this Saturday. 

The library hosted the “Team Up to Clean Up” event in 2019, and Crystal Hinman, one of the library coordinators, said it had a decent turnout. However, she wanted to grow the program this year by including the high school and middle school student councils and the Holy Family Catholic Church youth groups. 

Hinman said the library prepared team bags that include plastic gloves, face masks and hand sanitizer donated by United Way. Others who wish to participate can pick up the green trash bags at the library this week. 

Come Saturday, volunteers can return their bags with collected trash to the library for the chance to win prizes and to snag a doughnut from Lulu’s Bakery. Hinman said prizes include gift certificates to local businesses. 

“It’s just a little incentive,” Hinman said. “We’re trying to just promote some of our local businesses.”

Ultimately, she said she hopes people just get outside and clean up their streets this week, regardless of their involvement with the library event. 

“We would like people to use this week to just pick up trash,” Hinman said. “You don’t need to come by the library, just go outside and pick up your street.” 

Eric Magette, the student council sponsor at the high school, said it’s been difficult this year to find events that students could safely participate in because of the pandemic. He said the outdoor and socially distant event was a great opportunity for students. 

“We felt like this was a good chance to partner with the library and a way to give the students a space to volunteer in a safe, and hopefully, fun way,” Magette said. 

Magette has about 50 green bags that students can pick up throughout the week and fill with trash on Saturday. He said it’s been hard to get students excited for any event this year because they’ve tended to get canceled last minute due to pandemic concerns. The Team Up to Clean Up event is largely self driven, so it provides a good opportunity for the students. 

“It’s really scalable to what’s available to the students, which is perfect for this year,” Magette said. “If five students participate, great. If 100 students participate, that’s great, too.” 

Molly Pratt, the youth group leader at Holy Family Catholic Church, said the youth members will be heading out on their own accord to fill bags and can use the time as community service hours. 

“It’s an easy way to help the community,” Pratt said. 

The library will accept recycling and trash from 9 a.m. until around 12:30 p.m. Anyone who brings a filled bag can grab a doughnut and enter for the prize drawings. 

Reach reporter Cami Koons at [email protected].

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