Care Force Chronicle- Washington, D.C.

CSX Volunteers participating in Physical Training (PT) 

By Aundrea Dean

Partner: CSX

Volunteers: 50

Service Partner: Anacostia Watershed Society
When: March 22-25, 2011

TCF: Aundrea Dean; Project Manager Hugh Harlow

Reserves: City Year Washington D.C. Corps Members: Craig Tinker, Peter Christophersen, Whitney Parnell, and Michael DeAugustinis

After working six and a half hours in the office on April 7, 2011, Hugh Harlow, a Project Manager for City Year’s Team Care Force walked over to my desk and says “Dean, it’s time to go!” I quickly changed out of my uniform and I was ready to go. So I thought. I forgot to pack another pair of shoes. Normally this would not have been an issue; I could just wear my Timberland boots. But this trip we were going to dinner with Tori Kaplan, the Director of Corporate Citizenship at CSX. Great, just my luck!

We decided I would buy a new pair of shoes once we got to Washington D.C. we gathered our stuff and head to the airport. Our plane departed the Logan Airport around 7 p.m. Because we were stuck flying behind a slow moving jet and abnormally high winds, what should have only been an hour flight to Washington D.C. turned out to be an hour and a half. This trip started off on a great foot.

CSX Volunteers clearing trash along the Anacostia River

Once we landed, gathered our things from baggage claim, and rented the car, we met up with Hugh’s sister, Magueritte, for dinner. It was nice being able to meet Hugh’s sister and hear all of the embarrassing childhood stories she was willing to share.

Friday April 8th, Hugh and I arrived at the City Year D.C. office to pick up Craig Tinker, Peter Christophersen, Whitney Parnell, and Michael DeAugustinis; City Year Corps Members that were assisting us with the event. We drove to Bladensburg Waterfront Park where we met with Eric Sibley from the Anacostia Watershed Society.

Eric enlightened our team about the importance of having the CSX volunteers participate in the river cleanup as part of the Earth Day Celebration. The Anacostia River has been polluted with sewage, storm water runoff, and litter for decades. The Anacostia Watershed Society continues to host events such as these and partakes in other initiatives with the purpose of restoring the Anacostia River and its watershed communities. Eric explained that service events such as this promotes awareness of the rivers issues and continues to build local support.



CSX Volunteers hard at work cleaning up the river



Saturday April 9th at 7:45 a.m. CSX employees from the surrounding D.C., Maryland, and Virginia areas begin arriving to participate in the river cleanup. At 8:30a.m. more than 50 CSX workers participated in City Year’s Opening Ceremony and began service. The volunteers were divided into three teams along the riverside. Two teams covered the farthest east and west’s points and one team in between. Equipped with safety goggles, gloves, and plenty of trash bags volunteers walked up and down the watershed collecting as much trash and recyclables as possible; many of them even went into the water to pickup trash.

After several hours of cleaning up the trash and debris from the river, volunteers were able to clearly see the results of their labor. Hundreds of full bags of trash were collected and removed from the river, making this a successful event. Feeling very satisfied with the work they just completed the volunteers were able to enjoy live music and grilled food as a part of the Earth Day Celebration the Anacostia Watershed Society was hosting at Bladensburg Waterfront Park.

The trip started off a little rocky for me, between forgotten shoes, a slow airplane, and a long work day. However, the trip was an overall success because the volunteers enjoyed themselves, the project was transformative, and Tori had fun!