Canyon projects epitomize the power, value of Make A Difference Day

Laurel Helton and Margie Kerr share the coordinating responsibilities for this amazing effort. They are masters of building community. Helton, who once worked here at The World, highlighted a couple of projects that will improve No. 1 and No. 2 Canyons on the western edge of Wenatchee.

Stan Smoke of Chelan County Emergency Management and Jessica Shaw from the City of Wenatchee Public Works department have figured out a way to help address the flooding problems that have impacted No. 1 Canyon when heavy rainfall causes flooding and damages property. It’s an ongoing issue.

The city and county cannot legally do this work on private property. That responsibility rests with homeowners, which is very difficult for some who have health, financial or age-related limitations. Smoke and Shaw are organizing a cleanup effort using community volunteers and partners. On Make A Difference Day, Oct. 22, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., volunteers will show up with shovels to clean out ditches that have been filled up. Waste Management is donating a dumpster, Wenatchee Valley College is giving them a place to put the dumpster, the city is providing a place to put the dirt that is removed.

This is community collaboration at its finest. They just need folks like us to show up and help out. Volunteers who want to help out should meet at the National Guard Armory at 5th and Ringold to receive instructions.  For more information contact Smoke at 699-8280 or email him at [email protected].

The second project is a cleanup of No. 2 Canyon, which has, unfortunately, seen more than its share of illegal dumping. Jeanette Long is organizing a cleanup effort for Make A Difference Day from 9 a.m. to noon. Here’s what Long wrote about the project on the Make A Difference Day web site:

“My family and I have noticed a lot of trash being dropped illegally in the No. 2 Canyon area of Wenatchee.  Although I don’t live in the area, I feel sorry for the people that do and would like to see it in its natural beauty,” she writes.

“If you would like to clean up this beautiful canyon with us, meet at 9 a.m. at the Wenatchee Rifle and Revolver Club (the shooting range), 2800 No. 2 Canyon Rd.   It is 1.4 miles up from the forced turn on the south end of Western Road.  Participants should bring work gloves and heavy outdoor garbage bags.  If you have a truck to haul larger items, it would be helpful, but not necessary to be a participant.”

If you want to help with the No. 2 Canyon cleanup, contact Long at 860-7014 or email her at [email protected].

There are dozens of wonderful projects on the Make A Difference Day web site, wenatcheemkdd.com. Check it out, volunteer or find a way to contribute. As Helton puts it, “The ‘see a need, do a good deed’ mantra of Make A Difference Day is in perfect sync this year.”

I couldn’t agree more. These projects make our community better for everyone and remind us of the power of collaboration, cooperation and the common good.