Lynchburg Reporter

Campbell County issued the following announcement on July 30

Liberty University student, Alec Gallagher, believes it is his personal duty to volunteer in his community.

So much so, in fact, that the Strategic Communications major recently partnered with the Keep Campbell County Beautiful anti-litter campaign to help tackle roadside trash and improve the appearance of our locality through the LU-Serve portal.

Initially launched earlier this year, the Keep Campbell County Beautiful campaign is a joint endeavor with the Commonwealth of Virginia's Keep Virginia Beautiful effort to engage and unite Virginians to improve our natural and scenic environment. The program is based upon a shared responsibility between local government, and its residents and guests to end littering, improve recycling and beautify communities in Virginia.

There are two initiatives under the main initiative.  These are the Give Us 5 Campbell Challenge, which encourages residents to commit to five feet, five minutes for five days to litter pick up in areas they frequent, and the Green Team program, which supplies groups of volunteers with supplies to clean sections of the community designated as high-litter areas.

Armed with a pair of gloves and a trash bag, Gallagher volunteered as a one-man Green Team to remove litter on the highways surrounding his home near Candler's Mountain Road, and near community parks, such as Timbrook and Long Mountain Park in Campbell County.

To date, Gallagher has collected over 35 bags of litter from Campbell County neighborhood and residential areas.

He said he’s always surprised by the amount of trash just tossed on the ground. 

“Opening up your window, throwing out a drive-thru bag . . . doesn’t that take a lot more effort than just putting it in the garbage when you get home?” Gallagher said.

He said he feels a great sense of accomplishment when he sees the difference he's made, but said it doesn’t take long before the area is littered again. 

It’s a cycle he can’t comprehend. 

“It’s a part of stewardship to keep our communities clean,” he said. “It’s what my mom and dad taught us - take care of each other; take care of the planet.  We all live here - together, so let's keep it nice.  I just hope my effort inspires others to grab a bag and join in, or at least just take pride in the beautiful space that is Campbell County."

For more information on the Keep Campbell County Beautiful campaign, please visit www.campbellcountyva.gov, or contact the Public and Employee Relations Department at (434) 332-9818 or per@campbellcountyva.gov.

Original source can be found here.