| CDS joins Martin in celebrating Earth Day |
By: Heather Scarano, Special to The Press
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Posted: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 12:09 pm
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Renee Tharpe of Mansfield (left) and Maxine Matthews of Martin (right)
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No matter how enthusiastic you may be about recycling, chances are you’re not as excited as Russell Sallee. Every Thursday morning Sallee jumps up and down and claps his hands as he gets ready to help sort aluminums and plastics at the University of Tennessee at Martin’s recycling facility.
“I’m happy. I’m happy,” he says, while putting on a pair of plastic gloves and watching as several bags full of aluminum cans are pulled out of the facility into an open space for sorting.
The 38-year-old Sallee is just one of six individuals from Community Developmental Services – a nonprofit, community-based organization in Martin serving approximately 150 adults with developmental disabilities in Weakley, Henry, Obion, Carroll and Lake counties — who volunteer each week sorting recyclables.
The activity that brings Sallee so much joy is not the only way he and his friends from CDS are going green.
In support of Earth Day, April 22, they decorated more than 200 paper grocery bags to help encourage patrons of the E.W. James & Sons Supermarket in Martin to choose paper instead of plastic.
Sallee and 15 other individuals are a part of the Life Options group at CDS. they colored paper bags every day — coffee in one hand, markers in the other -- for several weeks leading up to Earth Day.
“We’re saving the earth,” says Meagan Warren, 25, another member of Life Options, as she shows off the dots and circles she’s drawn on her bag just before heading over to the recycling facility.
Life Options is a program designed to provide more alternatives to individuals at CDS who are older or in need of a more relaxed environment because of their disability, says Gloria Williams, the supervisor of the program.
Participants of Life Options are able to explore their community, take advantage of volunteer opportunities and engage in an exercise program and other learning activities that meet their annual goals at a pace that is comfortable for them, she says.
Members of Life Options also volunteer with Meals on Wheels, delivering meals to approximately 10 different families once or twice a month.
They’re also collecting aluminum pull tabs to donate to the Aktion Club, a Kiwanis International sponsored-program that provides community service opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities.
The Aktion Club of Martin has collected more than 1.5 million aluminum can tabs over the last two years for the Ronald McDonald House in Memphis.
The Ronald McDonald House converts the tabs to cash to help provide a free place to stay for families who have children fighting the battle against cancer at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“I feel so proud when I see the participants of the Life Options program enjoy themselves as they take part in activities assisting others and protecting their environment. I’m also happy to see that businesses and organizations in our community welcome the opportunity to include our Life Options individuals in their endeavors.”
With just one full-time employee and one full-time student worker, Dennis Kosta, custodial manager for UT Martin and the Project Recycle coordinator, says he appreciates the efforts of the Life Options volunteers at the UT Martin recycling facility.
“We need their help,” he says. “We recycled 240 tons last year, and will probably hit close to 400 tons of recycling this year.”
He adds, “We enjoy having them, and working with them because it’s about getting the community involved. We all realize, it takes everybody.”
So why don’t we take our cue from Russell Sallee and get excited about recycling.
You don’t have to jump up and down about it, but you can remember to say, paper please!
WCP 4.21.09
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