In February of this year, VCC volunteers met with veterans of the Lee County Adopt-A-Road Program to learn the ropes. VCC is responsible for picking up trash along Corkscrew Road from Three Oaks (east) to Design Parc Road (west). Armed with the necessary equipment: trash pinchers, work gloves, trash bags, and neon work vests, we set out on our inaugural trek. You can imagine the kinds of trash that lands on the roadside; paper, cans, candy wrappers, automobile parts, and oh so many cigarette butts. Some of the unusual items we’ve found to date are construction materials and tools, flossers (yuck!), reflectors from the middle of the road, and cash.
Lee County suggests going out once each month to pick up trash. The VCC crew can generally be seen working the first Saturday of the month. Six to eight volunteers meet at 7 a.m. to distribute supplies and plan our attack. We head out in groups of two and “sweep” the sides and median of the road. It’s important to get out early to beat the heat and the traffic. Generally, it takes one-and-one-half hours to walk the VCC section of Corkscrew Road. After the trash is collected and dropped at the pick-up spot, a report of the day’s haul, number and names of volunteers, and number of hours worked is submitted electronically to the County. This is also the time to order additional supplies if needed. The program supplies trash pinchers, bags, and vests. When the volunteers were asked why they decided to participate, they said they were happy to help our community and the County … and going out to breakfast after was a plus!
Lee County’s program began in 1991. Lee County has 301 segments established in its Adopt-A-Road Program. A variety of groups have adopted 245 of the segments. The number of volunteers per group varies. Some segments are a group of one while others have as many as 50 members. From September 30, 2023 to October 31, 2024, a total of 1,417 volunteers worked in support of the program. Collectively, these volunteers dedicated 2,605.5 hours to pick up trash across the County. One of the most senior groups is still active. The Country Lakes Owners Association has been active since 1993.
The coordinator for Lee County is Ashley Cruz. She is proud to be a part of a program that has been in existence for 33 years. Ashley says, “Our volunteers and group, just like yours, do such an amazing job in contributing to our program. They take pride in their communities and dedicate their time and efforts to the County.” She continued, “We are immensely grateful to all our groups and volunteers. You are all a pleasure to work with, and I look forward to continuing to provide support for you and your group during your time in our Adopt-A-Road program.”
Since January 1, 2025, volunteers and groups have picked up a total of 640.5 bags of trash and worked to clean up 152 miles across our Lee County Adopt-A-Road segments.
If you would like to volunteer for the VCC Adopt-A-Road program, please send an email to [email protected]. Please also visit the VCC Facebook page to learn if volunteers are needed for a particular month.
