Cocoa Village trash bash proves you're never too young to volunteer | Suzy Fleming Leonard
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Lilly Arjoon showed up wearing her Paw Patrol gloves, ready to work.
She and her grandmother, Chris Myers of Merritt Island, were among a dozen or so people who gathered on a hot, sunny Saturday in August to pick up trash in Cocoa Village.
Lilly loves to help, her Mimi said, and Lilly's Mimi loves the idea of teaching the 2-year-old the importance of giving back to the community.
Chris, who grew up in Missouri, comes from a long line of helpers.
"My mom and dad taught us every decision we make, every action we take could affect someone else, be it positive or negative," she said.
And her parents didn't just talk about giving back, they modeled it.
Now Chris is doing the same for her children and grandchildren.
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When she's not working as senior relationship manager at Cypress Bank & Trust in Melbourne, Chris volunteers with Bridges, a non-profit that helps adults with disabilities; Habitat for Humanity of Brevard; the Children's Home Society; Our Savior's Catholic Church in Cocoa Beach; and number of other local organizations.
Kaitlyn Aliano-Weisberg was also raised to take care of the world around her.
While growing up in northeastern New Jersey, she watched her parents get involved where they lived.
Kaitlyn knows many of her peers, people in their early 30s, are transient, changing jobs and moving from town to town.
But when she and her husband Matt bought their historic house in Cocoa four years, they knew they'd found their forever home. They wanted to do their part to build up their new hometown, the place where their son Ronan will grow up.
Kaitlyn, who works for a marketing software company, now serves on the Historic Cocoa Village Main Street Association board and is on the city's Board of Adjustments.
Working with Keep Brevard Beautiful, Kaitlyn organized the first of what would become monthly trash bashes in July 2020.
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Like Chris, Kaitlyn wants to set an example.
"Kids are impressionable," she said. "My son mirrors me and my husband, for better or for worse."
She noticed that after watching his parents pick up trash and helping with the cleanups himself, Ronan, 5, is more diligent about cleaning up after himself at home.
She's also noticed there seems to be less trash in Cocoa Village in the two years since the trash pickups started.
Caring about the area is contagious.
At ages 2 and 5, heading to Cocoa Village to pick up trash is fun.
As Chris and I roamed Riverfront Park collecting bottle caps, cigarette butts, candy wrappers and plastic cups, Lilly scampered around, pointing at the river twinkling in front of us, picking flowers in the butterfly garden and scooping up bits of paper to toss into our trash bag.
Ronan took a break in the play ground with his grandfather, climbing, sliding and swinging.
"The more we get to do it, the more I can introduce to her why we pick it up, and why we have to pick it up, and how it got there in the first place," Chris said. Which leads to a discussion of why we don't want to be the people throwing out trash in the first place.
"It makes her a better steward of her world," Chris said.
And it makes her world — our world — a better place for all of us.
The next Keep Brevard Beautiful Cocoa Village Trash Bash will begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 24 at Myrt Tharpe Square, across from Ossorio Bakery & Cafe on Brevard Avenue. Trash bags are provided.
Suzy Fleming Leonard is a features journalist with more than three decades of experience. Reach her at sleonard@floridatoday.com. Find her on Facebook: @SuzyFlemingLeonard or on Instagram: @SuzyLeonard
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Keep Brevard Beautiful Cocoa Village Trash Bash is for everyone
