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July
2001 Newsletter
Valley
Clean-up Success Stories !
Again
this spring, valley clean-up efforts have been a terrific
success. Friends of Red Hill Valley Clean-up coordinator,
Vicky Sutherland reports that the efforts of many diverse
groups and individuals help to make this ongoing project
both rewarding and fun.
May
5 Clean-up
Under
the direction of John Struger, volunteers met at either
the Mud Street parking lot; the Red Hill Bowl, below Rosedale
Arena; or Hillcrest School on Melvin Avenue.
 Approximately
350 people turned out for the annual clean-up on May 5th,
with the biggest contingent at Hillcrest. There, over 225
employees of American Express again volunteered their time
to help keep the valley clean between Queenston Road and
Barton Street.
The
efforts of the staff of American Express (in the picture)
continue to be appreciated.
In
addition, the success of this year's clean-up event is also
largely due to:
- the
assistance from the staff of Hillcrest School and the
use of their property;
- a
Hamilton Conservation employee, for his time;
- Mr.
Buggy, who returned all the shopping carts to their respective
stores as they were recovered from the valley;
- Commissio's
at Barton and Nash, for refreshments and overflow parking;
- and
the City of Hamilton, who took away the many bags of refuse.
To
all who participated, a most sincere Thank-you! We all thank
you too, Vicky, for your dedication and hard work!
Serve
Canada (Youth Service Organization)
This
was the first team of graduating youth in Hamilton to celebrate
youth development, community involvement and volunteerism.
Again
this year, students from Serve Canada, along with one of
their sponsors, combined a hike with cleaning up of the
valley. The hike started from Rosedale arena and continued
to the corner of Mt. Albion and King.
This
group went all out right from the beginning as litter disappeared
and bags were filled. Committed to the task at hand, they
tackled even the worst locations filling dozens of bags
with Horton's cups, pop cans, chip bags, and water bottles.
They also worked to remove abandoned shopping carts.
Everything
was then loaded up at the pick up locations and right on
cue the City of Hamilton staff came to take away the collection.
On
May 9 2001, some of our members had the pleasure of attending
the student's graduation ceremony, held at Gage Park. It
was our pleasure to have met them and worked with them.
We wish them all the best for their future endeavors.
Orchard
Park Secondary Students
This
spring a group of grade 11 Geography students from Orchard
Park Secondary in Stoney Creek along with their teacher,
Linda Hughes, enjoyed an energetic hike in the Red Hill
Valley. Led by a member of Friends, they traveled from Mud
Street to the intersection of Mt. Albion and King.
 They
arrived by bus and began their day out with a spectacular
view of Albion Falls. Most of the students had never been
in the valley before but from their enthusiasm and comments,
there is no doubt that they will be back.
They
were eager to explore the side trails as well as the main
pathway, making notes for when they return with their mountain
bikes.
The
morning passed by all too quickly with energy to spare.
In addition to the hike, they eagerly joined in cleaning
up any litter along the way.
We
at Friends or Red Hill Valley enjoyed their company
and hope to see them again.
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