2nd Annual Teaming up for the Tuolumne

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Teaming up for the Tuolumne

In celebration of the National Day of Service on Saturday, September 11, 2010 the Hi-Tec Clean Up Coalition partnered with the Tuolumne River Trust for the 2nd annual Teaming up for the Tuolumne event. Together with the hard work of nearly 250 neighbors, community leaders, school students and local businesses we cleaned up hundreds of pounds of trash found in the river and along the shoreline of Legion Park. The central valley's hard work and community spirit are clearly thriving.

Efforts were not only at Legion Park but also under 9th Street Bridge—thanks to the incredible partners of South Modesto Business United. This group of 16 volunteers tore into the overgrowth under the bridge with a bulldozer to clear homeless encampments and easy access to the river.

The day of activities began with an inspiring rally for the Tuolumne River. After a brief welcome, audience was given to two local spoken word poets who performed a hip hop "Tuolumne Rap," giving life to the love of the river. This led to the unveiling of the "Heal La Raza" mural created by local artist, Emilio and airport area families in an expression of their passion for their neighborhood and the river at their back door.

After four productive hours, volunteers gathered for a little refreshment, fun and tunes on the turntable by DJ Vikda. As everyone enjoyed the exhibits of local businesses, winners of the raffle were hand picked by City Council member Joe Muratore. We would like to express the deepest gratitude to local companies who donated generous prizes for the raffle in benefit of Tuolumne River Trust.

Modesto Irrigation District mascot, Splasher joined us in expressing thanks to volunteers for their help. He took photos with families, danced to the beats and spent a little time showing kids how to fish with the help of the Bass Brigade crew.

Join us in a round applause for all of the volunteers, local businesses and neighbors who participated in making their mark on the community. Volunteers do not get paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless!

Be sure to check out the pictures of the event and we look forward to seeing you on the trail again soon.

Many thanks to our sponsors: