By JOHN E. WEARE, KAB
“Curbside!” Three or four Pine Ridge Job Corps students intercept a patched-up 1950’s pickup
after a lull during the April community recycling event in downtown Chadron. Each grabs a bag,
maybe an armload of newspapers or cardboard, making a quick deposit in the sorting area.
Containers returned, the driver is on his way in five minutes flat – my estimate sans a
stopwatch.
Just over a dozen different young adults from Job Corps have served as volunteers at Keep
Chadron Beautiful’s monthly event since this past winter. This USDA Forest Service center is
well-known for its community service. Throughout the years I have seen students on numerous
occasions in Box Butte and Dawes Counties doing everything from rehabbing a school art
building at the fairgrounds to removing litter along Highway 385. Mary Meier, who works at Job
Corps and the Keep Alliance Beautiful recycling center, has been a more recent connection. Not
only spearheading an additional service/education opportunity for the students in Chadron, she
brought a crew to help at the recycling center a couple weeks ago.
Alliance and Chadron’s respective Keep America Beautiful affiliates forged a partnership in
2023 where KAB has lent its support and expertise as our neighbors reboot the availability of
public and business recycling. On the majority of the public events I have traveled up with one
of our green trailers. Initially, KChB board members and a few other adult volunteers manned
the event. College-age kids showed up in droves one Saturday at the fairgrounds as every
vehicle attracted a host of helpers from either the Job Corps or Chadron State Eagles football
team – the former group expects to contribute longterm.
At the most recent recycling curbside opportunity, I worked with Mary to visit with several of the
students. As things wound down, I met: Eulalie Nduwamungu, from Bellevue, Neb., Business
Administration; Aldair Huitron, Omaha, carpentry; Venae Shelly, Omaha, Union Painting;
Johntavius Toole, Lincoln, Painting; Leon Clauson, Deshler, Facility Maintenance; and Cason
Fisher, Fairbury, Not Assigned (currently in 60-day Career Preparation phase). Eulalie said she
decided to take part because “I wanted to help.” Johntavius said it is a good way to “give back to
the community” while Aldair pointed out that assisting with local recycling reflects on the Job
Corps’ “good reputation” and is “good for the planet.” They all agreed that it has been fun and
they want to keep on doing it.
In addition to taking advantage of the opportunity to serve – and have time off campus,
Johntavius said they are learning to recycle as well. Mary agreed. “We are assisting the
community we live in,” she said. “I wanted them to see the waste out there, way we recycle it,
help out the landfill, save the Earth’s space. Wanted them to recognize the waste we have on
our own campus and recycle there as well.”
Anyone can learn to recycle, yet “Working with the people is way better (to) adapt to changes
and organizations,” Johntavius said. “(We want to) keep it clean, keep it organized, keep it
fresh,” Venae added. “Even a little thing makes a big impact,” Eulalie emphasized.
Students who have been to Alliance to process recyclables or Chadron for curbside collection
are able to apply time to required hours. “It helps us to build our work-based hours,” Mary said,
explaining the overall hours logged helps in their respective rank among 24 Centers nationwide.
“Also, when they do community service such as KAB or KChB (students receive) evaluation
credit for it.”
The Pine Ridge Job Corps has assisted Keep Alliance Beautiful in the past in beautification and
other projects. “Community service has always been in our blood . . . shines a positive light on
our community and our students.”
A group of 10 students at the recycling center made an impressive impact in just four hours as
they processed 16 boxes of primarily curbside bags and completed a bale of cardboard. Mary
said one of the best aspects has been a first-hand education of where materials such as
cardboard, plastic and glass go on their first step to becoming something else. Also, a
community member cooked for them and they were “delighted in that, very much so,” she said.
The students have been asking when the next event is, Mary noted. She said they plan to
continue.
“You get to know the people in the community more. I really enjoyed doing this,” Johntavius
said. “We like to get students involved anytime we have a project and like to get the word out for
people to recycle and spread the awareness.”