Golden Broom Award Winner
The NEC held its second annual Adopt-a-Block Appreciation Party on February 9. The presentation of the Golden Broom Award at the event recognizes the hard work of a particular Adopt-a-Block volunteer. This year the recipient was Eric Gallegos, an employee of the Beneficial Living Center (BLC) who cleans up the area near the BLC and the nearby Arcata marsh parking lot. Even as a fairly new volunteer, he has submitted his data on time and has even expanded his adopted region.
How long you have been volunteering with NEC?
I’ve been volunteering with the Adopt-A-Block program since July of 2017.
What inspired you to volunteer?
My neighbor Sylvia came to the BLC on a sunny July day with a flyer for the Adopt-A-Block program. I was inspired by the chance to catch some sun
while helping clean up my community. Every cleanup
reminds me that I am helping to save the environmental splendor I moved across the state to live in.
Words for future volunteers?
I am proud to say I have saved hundreds of cigarette butts from washing into our ocean! Everyone can make a difference in their community. Whether it’s 15 minutes sweeping up cigarette butts around your home, a couple hours pulling invasive species in the watersheds, or an afternoon planting native plants. There is something that you will love doing and be proud of yourself for contributing to the health of our ecosystems and community!
