The Revere Local Schools will participate in the annual tri-community event Project Pride, which helps clean up community grounds and campaign against litter in the area.

Dana Singer, who is responsible for the involvement of Revere schools, is a co-coordinator of Project Pride, which has run for eleven years. Singer explained why the project was created in the first place and why it is so important.

“The day was started as a way to encourage the relationships between young people and adults in the community. It helps students to realize that it really does take an entire community,” Singer said.

Kay Quigley, who works with the middle school students that participate, began contributing to the event about ten years ago. She explained what the volunteers accomplish throughout the morning.

“Everyone is given gloves, trash bags and vests. We clean up the grounds to make them beautiful and then do something better with the trash, like recycle it,” Quigley said.

Those who work on a major road will tie up bags and place them on the roadside. Crews of students proceed to pick up the trash and bring it back to one of two locations: Bath Elementary School or Richfield Town Hall. Singer talked about her personal experiences with litter in the area.

“My son once made a comment after seeing a pile of litter on the road about people in Bath not having much pride. It really was an eye opening experience; what he said was true. We then got the schools involved, and the next year, over 600 people came out for the first Project Pride [that joined all three communities],” Singer said.

Quigley believes the most important part of Project Pride is the message it relays to those involved and what people can get out of it.

“It is good for students to do it because it makes you feel like a part of the community and like you are connected. We have a lot of fun; we do it in rain, sleet, snow, freezing temperatures to hot temperatures,” Quigley said.

Senior LeAnn Greer helped lead the middle school students last year and will lead again this year. She discussed the day in more detail.

“People split up into groups. Anyone in the community can sign up and organize their own group with his or her friends,” Greer said.

Seniors are required to participate in Project Pride. The three hours spent working are doubled to six hours of service hours for seniors only. Singer believes students get a good sense of “volunteerism,” and that many cannot believe how much trash there actually is in the community.

This year Project Pride will take place on April 26 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.