Teams get dirty to clean the community

NORFOLK, Va. - There are some jobs, some people just don't want to do. In Norfolk, there was one such job, but no such people.  "They are cleaning and picking up what they can," John Deuel, Norfolk's Department of Public Works Recycling Unit said.

"It's okay, I'm glad to be out here," one volunteer exclaimed.

It's not often you find someone glad to do something dirty, but there they were Saturday morning: disposable gloves, trashbags and all. "The tools of the trade, that's a good way to say it," Jean White laughed.

Even with those tools, there was still a lot of labor to grab every piece of debris that could tarnish Pretty Lake's name. "Start at the shoreline and work ahead of the tide so that trash that's on the shore is not reclaimed by the water," volunteer Kelly Reynolds told the team.

It's the water that sent most of the mess during the November Nor'Easter. "We got quite a bit and a lot of stuff that washed up from the pretty lake and the bay," one volunteer noted.

"It's amazing, the damage that the weather can do," another added.

The rest of the trash looked as though it had the fingerprints of time. "Here's some oil filters from cars," one volunteer said.

For Reynolds, it was more than just a job. "We should all take responsibility for our area and those of us who can should expand into other neighborhoods as well."

That's why she had a little help. By litte, Reynolds got a hand from her 2-year-old son Jake. "This isn't his first cleanup, he'll bring me anything that looks interesting...too bad he doesn't do it at home," she laughed.

For the entire team, this neighborhood is their home. Keeping it clean is not a suggestion At this place, beauty is required.