Members of the BC Jeep Club (BCJC) hauled more than two metric tons of scrap metal and trash from Chemainus River Provincial Park during their second annual cleanup and toy run Sept. 14.
Cathi Manness, a BCJC global moderator, said this year’s cleanup effort led to the removal of 4,642 pounds of garbage and 650 pounds of scrap metal from the riverside park.
On top of its massive cleanup effort, the club raised $330 for the President’s Choice Children’s Charity by cashing in the scrap metal it had collected and combining those funds with donations from both BCJC members and the public.
The idea for an annual cleanup originated during the summer of 2012, Manness said, when she noticed the “horrendous amount of garbage” dumped in the park.
Manness sought and received sponsorship funding for a cleanup from local businesses before posting the idea to the BCJC’s forum to gauge her fellow four-wheel enthusiasts’ level of interest.
The response she received from the club’s 5,000 members was “overwhelming,” Manness explained, and what followed was the BCJC’s inaugural cleanup event on Oct. 28, 2012.
Combining 3,600 pounds of scrap metal and 2,000 pounds of garbage collected by the club in 2012 with the refuse removed this year brings the club’s total contribution to a cleaner park to an astounding 10,892 pounds — just shy of five metric tons.
Manness credited the support of numerous Vancouver Island businesses with making their cleanup effort possible, including the following Duncan-based retailers: Karnage FabWorks, Lordco Auto Parts, Mobil 1 Lube Express, Boston Pizza, Walmart, Mr. Mikes, Just Jakes, Bow Mel Chrysler Jeep, Safeway, Coast Environmental and Steel Pacific.