Foundation shows great results in Cleanup

Sep 22, 2011 1 min read

1 / 3

BOB PETCHER The Albritton family with Connor, Alexa and Devin brought back more than 100 pounds of trash in two trips.

2 / 3

BOB PETCHER Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation volunteers on site at Beach Elementary included Pat Maio, Donna Hensiak, Jan Kitchen, Judy Kilbury, Karen Swanbeck and Alicia Steinhagen.

3 / 3

ALICIA STEINHAGEN Coca-cola employees and family members help out with the trash drive. Coke is a major sponsor of Keep Lee County Beautiful.

The Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation reported a great showing of 193 volunteers that picked up 1,196 pounds of trash on Estero Island during the Florida Coastal Cleanup last Saturday.

Many residents, visitors as well as high school, college and business groups helped out in the cause. The Edison State College team came back with 2 pickup trucks full of trash and debris. The Albritton family made 2 trips amounting to 103 pounds of trash and the Gateway Charter (Janet Vargas, Educator) brought back a pile of rope totaling 80 pounds that the kids collected in addition to 49 pounds in other assorted trash.

Foundation Board Director Alicia Steinhagen, the event coordinator, called the cleanup “a very successful day!” She reported more than 144 million pounds of garbage (that’s equal to the weight of 41,210 sedans) have been collected during the Ocean Concervancy’s 25 years of hosting international beach cleanups.

Florida Coastal Cleanup is sponsored by Keep Lee County Beautiful and coordinated by the Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation. The event is part of National Cleanup of waterfront communities.