Thank You Oak Ridges - 2011 Clean Up Report !
Mother Nature smiled on the volunteers that came out the last Saturday in April to clean up Oak Ridges parks and green spaces with one of the nicest weather days in this soggy spring. It was perfect for the Tim Horton’s t-shirts that most people received for helping out. Fortified with coffee, juice and goodies from Gramma’s Oven Bakery, over 340 residents including 42 students donned work gloves, grabbed garbage bags and headed out all over the community to pick up the trash that had accumulated over the winter months.
There was a lot to be picked up. The general consensus was that plastic water bottles were the most common item followed by fast food containers. Beyond that there was a variety of things such as tires, propane tanks, some large stuffed animals probably from a fair, a few strollers and bikes, and even full cans of beer! The most interesting find was a bag containing an old police badge and patch along with a gun holster and ball caps. The York Region Police were quite interested in this haul but determined that it was costume gear. In the end, over 4.78 tonnes (10,516 lb) of trash was picked up by Richmond Hill on Monday morning.
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After a hard morning’s work, participants were rewarded with a barbeque provided by Nick and Mira’s No Frills and expertly cooked by the Oak Ridges Lions Club. There was also a thank you cake that came with the help of Oak Ridges Food Market. Councillor Greg Beros was on hand to cut the cake and bring words of appreciation from the Town of Richmond Hill.
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Of course an effort like this required the help of many people, and the Oak Ridges Friends of the Environment (ORFE) thanks all of the sponsors who contributed. The Royal Bank of Canada provided the billboard sign on their Yonge Street frontage to advertise the event and sent out a crew to participate. 
McDonalds gave out free fries coupons, and a number of merchants and organizations also contributed. There were some group efforts too. The local Scouts, Beavers and Brownies each took on a territory, McLeods Landing Residents Association and Lake Wilcox Public School did the same, and some neighbours banded together to clean up their local areas.
With so many people coming and going, it was great to have a wonderful crew of volunteers to help organize the day. ORFE also appreciates the ongoing support of the Town of Richmond Hill and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Finally, all of this would be for not if the community did not respond. Thanks and congratulations to all of the people who took time to come out and show their care for their community. Oak Ridges looked terrific due to their efforts. Now we all just have to work together to keep it that way. A full list of all of the contributors is included below.
Special Note re T-shirts : Some of our local groups did not use all of their shirts. If you missed getting one at the Clean Up, we shall have some at the Oak Ridges Fair for pick up as supply lasts.
(Photos above: L. Atkins-Paul, S. Bradley, S. Meek & S. Toye,)
The Oak Ridges Friends of the Environment is grateful for the support of these organizations and local merchants for the 2011 Community Clean Up Day.
Clean Up Partners
 Nick & Mira’s No Frills |
 Royal Bank |
 Tim Hortons |
 Oak Ridges Lions Club |
 Toronto and Region Conservation Authority |
 Town of Richmond Hill |
Clean Up Sponsors
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A Special Thank You to:
Photographer |
Clean Up Organization Volunteers
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