Rotary Club of Brentwood Celebrates 20 Years of Little Harpeth River Cleanup—A Community Collaboration
Courtesy of Rotary Club of Brentwood
On Saturday, February 7th, the Rotary Club of Brentwood, along with partner organizations the Harpeth Conservancy and the City of Brentwood teamed up for the 20th Annual Little Harpeth River Cleanup Day. After delaying the event a week due to the ice storm and frigid temperatures, the rescheduled cleanup event drew 135 volunteers including 25 Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Brentwood along with valuable support and manpower provided by various constituencies of the community. Rotary’s long-standing relationship with the packs and troops of the Natchez Trace district of the Scouts of America shone brightly as this organization was well represented at the event. Other community partners who provided support and are integral to the success of the cleanup included the John P. Holt Brentwood Library, the City of Brentwood Parks Department, Keep Williamson Beautiful, and the Williamson County Sheriff’s office.
The partnership with Harpeth Conservancy, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring clean water and healthy ecosystems in rivers throughout Tennessee, is an exciting collaboration that will allow the event to continue to grow and reach new audiences. This year, volunteers pulled over 60 bags of trash weighing over 700 pounds from along the 10-mile stretch of the Little Harpeth River that runs through Brentwood, including several large items such as fence gates, buckets and lumber. Event chair and Rotarian Patrick Wright, who has led this effort for several years, was thrilled with the turnout. “We are grateful the weather cooperated so that we could continue this amazing effort for the citizens of Brentwood and the entire Harpeth River watershed area. I’m proud that our Rotary Club founded this event 20 years ago and continues to support it every year with leadership and coordination,” Wright said. “In spite of the ice storm adding debris to the formula, our teams of intrepid volunteers were able to navigate most stretches of the riverbanks safely and successfully, and that is amazing just two weeks out from this historic storm.”
The Rotary Club of Brentwood was founded 53 years ago and meets Fridays at 11:30 for lunch at the Fifty-Forward Martin Center in Brentwood – guests interested in serving the Brentwood community are welcome to visit and consider membership.
# # #
