If we want to enjoy our community, it is vital to take care of the community.

I have the privilege of being on the Loyola Women’s Rowing team. We row on the Patapsco River in Baltimore, right around the corner from Ft. McHenry and the Inner Harbor. The water is where we spend hours perfecting our strokes and getting faster. The Patapsco River has helped our team, and our team has decided to give back. Waterways in a city tend to be more polluted than other waterways and will be forgotten about. We spent one afternoon going out in canoes and kayaks with trash pickers and trash bags and rowed around picking up any litter that we saw.

Doing this for just one short afternoon meant a lot to our team. We were able to spend our time cleaning up a place that is very special to us. We have a team of about 30 girls and we picked up a large amount of trash in a very small time. Unfortunately there is so much more out there that we were not able to get. We also got to explore our area in a new way. Baltimore is a city on the water, which allows for beautiful areas to see, restaurants, and fun activities. Going out in a canoe gave me a new perspective of Baltimore and I was able to discover places on my own. It is important to go out and take in your surroundings because you never know what you are going to find. When you go and clean up the river you are not only taking care of your home, but you are rediscovering your city.