Town’s spirit revitalized by clean-up effort

Published 7:00 am Sunday, May 26, 2019

It may seem out of season to be writing about a Christmas television special in May, a full seven months early, but one scene from that timeless cartoon, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” came to mind today as I am reflecting on the Clean Up event that happened in Jeanerette last Saturday.

Hum along as you recall the picture of the Whos down in Whoville all gathered round, holding hands in a big circle singing “Fah who doraze….” Even though the Grinch has taken all their gifts, they celebrated being together.

As simple as this analogy may seem, it is how I felt last Saturday as fifty people from all walks of life held hands for a prayer led by Mayor-elect Carol Bourgeois before starting off in all directions to gather litter from the streets of Jeanerette. Warmth was felt like a small electric charge moving from one person to the next.

If unity can be personified, that was it.

I agree with those who say, “It’s going to be the same litter next week.” Or those who want to argue that more needs to be done to revitalize the town. But, if a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, then that’s the step that was taken Saturday morning. The windy, rainy weather the next day proved the naysayers’ prediction true.

Was it an effort in futility? Was it worth it to collect six trailer loads of litter one piece at a time?

Ask the football players and their coach, who took on the task of cleaning the roadside for a mile in front of Jeanerette Senior High. They are going to make sure their friends think twice before tossing candy wrappers out their car windows.

Ask the Gullotta family who brought their five children, one a babe in arms, why they came out that day. The mom and dad told me it was a hands-on lesson to teach them the end results of littering — a lesson that will last them the rest of their lives. The same is true of the Girl Scouts.

Ask those who don’t live in Jeanerette anymore, but came back as sort of a homecoming, remembering how their town used to look and feel. They were heard to say, “I did this when we were kids, following the lead of Mrs. Kay Fortier, and I’m doing it now because I still love my hometown.”

The leaders of this movement hope to revitalize the place, to show pride, to act, regardless of how insignificant it may seem to those looking on. We all agree with event organizer, Erica J. Banks, who moved to Jeanerette three years ago.

“If you see a problem, share your concern.” Social media is great for this kind of project. “It’s heartening how many people and businesses, both public and private, have supported this clean-up effort,” Banks said

There is more to do, we realize that, so we’ll be on board when asked to help. Like the Whos in Whoville, we’ll hold hands, show our unity, show our love for our town, and step up.

Will you join us? Will you hold our hands? Will you be joyful in taking pride as Jeanerette moves forward?

Sing along. “Fah who foraze! Dah who doraze! Clean up time is in our grasp…”

JULAINE DEARE SCHEXNAYDER is retired after a varied career in teaching and public relations. Her email address is julaines14@gmail.