OSI Cleans Up South Beach

Occupy Staten Island members Seth and Jen, along with their friend Kurt, spent a Saturday morning volunteering with New York Cares and the New York City Parks Department to do a cleanup at South Beach on Staten Island, in preparation for the Memorial Day weekend opening of the beaches for swimming. They removed trash along the boardwalk and under the boardwalk. Some of the trash included drinking straws and assorted litter; other trash included rocks and pieces of cement, as well as a 10-foot steel pole, which was the catch of the day. "I will never bring a straw to the beach ever again. They just get in the sand and pollute our beaches," said Jen. "It was disappointing that there were no other volunteers at the site from Staten Island, but we shouldn't let that discourage us from doing more work like this in the future. You have to be willing to put yourself out there and have patience in order to build a lasting movement. And of course you have to learn from your experiences so that you can be more effective moving forward," said Seth. "Look! I pulled an entire washer out of the sand!" said Kurt, holding a washer. Everyone had a good time, made jokes, and bonded as friends. New York Cares is New York City's largest volunteer organization, running volunteer programs for 1,200 nonprofits, city agencies and public schools. They offer year-round volunteer opportunities, citywide days of service, corporate volunteering, holiday coat and gift drives, and much more. For more information, and to get involved, please visit their website at http://www.newyorkcares.org/