City recognizes Our Mother's Village and other volunteer groups for Adopt‑a‑Road and creek cleanups

At its June 9 meeting the commission recognized Our Mother's Village Inc. for frequent participation in the city’s Adopt‑a‑Road program and presented a certificate and gift basket to the group’s leader, Kenny Washington.

The city’s presentation noted the program’s recent policy changes — monthly cleanups (up to 12 per year) and a requirement that volunteer groups report cleanups through the city website — and said Our Mother's Village had recorded eight cleanups and more than 30 volunteer hours since reporting began.

Nut graf: Citizens and nonprofit volunteers also used the public comment period to report recent cleanups and urge continued city support for volunteer efforts on waterways and corridors, including Moores Creek and spoil islands in the estuary.

Voices from volunteers - Kenny Washington, leader of Our Mother's Village: "We're a community based organization of mothers who have all lost children due to senseless violence and or accidental drug overdose. Our main goal is to better our communities... We believe in cleaner, safer communities." Washington said the group centers youth participation in cleanups. - Krista Stone, director of Marine Cleanup Initiative (501(c)(3)): reported longstanding volunteer work on Moores Creek and seagrass observations following a recent cleanup; she thanked the city for allowing quarterly cleanups and noted opportunities for cooperative solutions. - Charles Wilson, representing Protect Our Waterways (501(c)(3)): congratulated cleanup volunteers and urged more public involvement rather than relying on government alone.

Ending: Commissioners and staff thanked volunteers and suggested continued outreach and partnerships. The recognition highlighted the city's intent to better track volunteer hours and to use program reporting to publicize and scale volunteer efforts.