Flagler Beach, FL – When is a beach cleanup more than just a cleanup?
It was on Saturday as Mayor Linda Provencher co-hosted the monthly cleanup, greeting volunteers as her official events calendar as mayor winds down ahead of next month’s elections.
As a co-founder of the Flagler Beach All-Stars, Provencher has made litter removal a signature issue and helped mobilize volunteers of all ages to head out, no matter the weather, and help clean up Flagler’s beaches.
Surrounded by students from Flagler Palm Coast High School’s i3 Academy and Air Force JROTC, Provencher and fellow All-Stars co-founder Carla Cline were thrilled with the morning’s turnout.
Logging community service hours, Cline shared the lesson she hoped students were learning while in the field.
“Basically, if kids are out picking up trash, they’re not going to be leaving their trash,” said Cline, who is often joined by her daughter Penelope for the cleanups. “That’s the ultimate goal, for them to realize they can make an impact in a small way, but on a grand scale.”
After leaving office Provencher has vowed to stay engaged in community-based programs, and sees the All-Stars growth in engagement as a part of the Flagler Beach legacy and commitment to the environment.
“It’s great to see each month we’re getting bigger and bigger,” she said. “It’s the community problem solvers, Mr. Medearis’ kids, and ROTC, who’ve been doing this for the past year with us. There are getting to be more and more people, and the next generation is learning about keeping our beaches clean.”
The next beach cleanup is set for March 6, 2021 at 9 am.
