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Community Corner

Lake Ronkonkoma Civic Organization Helps with Great Brookhaven Cleanup

Organization hits the streets to beautify the area.

With Earth Day just around the corner, the Lake Ronkonkoma Civic Organization got into the spirit of things as members participated in the Great Brookhaven Cleanup by picking up debris around the LIRR Ronkonkoma train station Saturday morning.

Volunteers met at 9 a.m., dressed for inclement weather on a cold, drizzly morning. Only a few dedicated members of the civic organization came out this year.

George Schramm, president of the Lake Ronkonkoma Civic Organization, was on hand.

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"It's the worst weather you could have for an outdoor event," he said. "It's should I go, shouldn't I go—with pouring rain at least you know."

Ken Kellaher, a member of the civic organization and the "litter coordinator" of the group, made sure to be there to do his part and for him it's a labor of love.

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"I have a passion for trying to clean the streets up from litter," he said. "It's been frustrating. We cleaned many areas in the past; it looks beautiful, then a few days or weeks later it's littered again. This part of the county is worse than other areas."

Loretta Clemente is a member of the civic organization as well as the Lake Ronkonkoma Chamber of Commerce. She was one of the ones who braved the damp cold to try to make a difference. Clemente was a coordinator who, three years ago, spearheaded the Great Brookhaven Cleanup.

The Lake Ronkonkoma Civic Organization covers the 3rd, 4th and 5th council districts.  "Last year we went around to rate how we did in cleanliness on a random drive and district three had the biggest growth of cleanup," Clemente said.

Districts four and five also showed improvement but they were less littered to start. 

"The prettier something is, the more you keep it pretty," she added.

The organization has opted Portion Rd. and Hawkins Rd. for monthly litter cleanups on the first Saturday of every month at 9 a.m. Volunteers do sections of the road nearest their residence.

Jo Molinari showed up with cleaning implements in hand, eager and ready to help beautify her surroundings. In addition to the civic organization, she belongs to the Lake Ronkonkoma Chamber of Commerce and the Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Society, and has lived in the town since the 1930s.

"It was a wonderful place to be as a summer resort," she recalled. "Post-War everything went downhill. For 10 years the civic organization has been working on bringing the town back, with all the activity and getting legislature interested and good politicians helping in getting grants—it's a very slow process."

Molinari does monthly cleanups between Hawkins Road and Ronkonkoma Avenue and gets a, "wheelbarrow full every time."

"I have people open windows and say 'thanks' and also people who throw cigarettes out the window, so we get both," she said.

Molinari hopes, "If they see less garbage, they'll throw less garbage—that's the idea."

To find out how you can become part of the Great American Cleanup, the nation's largest organized cleanup, beautification and community betterment program, and to get ideas on ways you can help out in your community go to lakeronkonkomacivic.org and in the immortal words of Mahatma Gandhi, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."  

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