Members of the youth group at St. John the Evangelist Church will help clean up some areas of Riverhead on Sunday as part of their community service efforts.
“They are a wonderful and active group of people that have decided they want to do this because they are good neighbors and care about their community,” director of the North Fork Spanish Apostolate Sister Margaret Smyth said.
The Grupo de Jovenes Renacer en Cristo (To Be Reborn in Christ Youth Group)— with about 30 people between the ages of 18 and 35— coordinated this initiative as a way to get closer to other members of the community and show their willingness to “keep Riverhead beautiful,” youth group leader Geremias Bosch said.
“We are looking for strategies, and this is one of them, to help others, no matter their race, color or status, we want to get close to the community and we believe this is a good first step, to take care about our town and to help clean it up,” Bosch said.
Bosch said their goal is to keep helping as much as they can in the community, and to teach others to take care of the town and not to litter by going out to clean up the streets.
“This is a group that is studying about their faith and they have realized that faith also requires social action,” Smyth said.
Smyth said that the Sunday clean-up event, which also has the town’s permission, is “extra” and in addition to the Town’s annual official clean up day. Riverhead Town officials voted this week to set this year’s Annual Litter Awareness and Clean-up Day for May 19, a resolution offered by councilman James Wooten and seconded by councilwoman Jodi Giglio.
The group will be joined Sunday by other members of the church, who will help throughout the three-hour event. They will all wear gear especially made for that day, Bosch said.
They will meet around 9:30 a.m. at the St. John’s parking lot, where they will be divided into smaller groups. Each group will have a section assigned to clean up on West Main Street, Northville Turnpike or Route 25. The clean-up is expected to conclude around 12 p.m.
“This is the first time we will do something like this and we are very excited,” Bosch said. “This if the first of many other activities we want to do in the community, hopefully people will see how much we care, we are stronger together, you know.”
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