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Thousands volunteer to clean up Milwaukee River
Every spring, Milwaukee Riverkeeper gathers thousands of volunteers to clean up trash along the Milwaukee River.
MILWAUKEE - Thousands of volunteers were cleaning up along the Milwaukee River Saturday to close out Earth Week for the Milwaukee Riverkeeper organization’s 26th year of the event.
"The trash is never-ending," said Jennifer Bolger Breceda, Milwaukee Riverkeeper executive director.
Every spring, Milwaukee Riverkeeper gathers thousands of volunteers to clean up trash along the Milwaukee River. After dealing with the pandemic over the past year, this year's cleanup hits home.
"During this year of COVID I think we all found solace and refuge in our natural places, and it's just a really great way to get people out and about caring for the community," said Bolger Breceda.
This year, Milwaukee Riverkeeper partnered with multiple organizations, like Rock the Green -- a non-profit that brings music and going green together.
"Our Sustainability Festival is a zero-waste music festival, and we use it as a way to educate and entertain folks about eco-friendly ways of living," said Lindsay Stevens, founder of Rock the Green.
Due to the pandemic, the usual celebration festival following the cleanup was virtual and the organization could only have a limited number of volunteers -- but that's not stopping them from getting the job done.
"A big thank you to our volunteers who helped today," Bolger Breceda said.
All of the volunteer slots are full for this year’s cleanup, but there are plenty of other volunteering opportunities.
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