A Volunteer’s Journey
“The heat from the sun could be felt on the backs of our necks. The bag in my left hand had a good load of recyclables and the bag in my friend, Jackson’s hands contained trash of every kind. We had been on the beach for only a couple of hours, doing our duty to our community and our oceans. We were helping to clean the beach as part of The Roundhouse Aquarium’s annual Beach Cleanup in September. It is a chance for the people of our community to do their part for the beach environment they cherish so dearly. The Roundhouse has been a major part of our community since its founding in 1980. The Roundhouse has always gone out of its way to enlighten and educate those who visit the beaches daily about the major problems of littering as well as the wonders of the sea. It was thanks to the Roundhouse and Heal the Bay that our beach was cleaned. Families could be seen toting young ones and trash bags, making the day a family event. Children ran amuck, competing to see who got the most trash. Coastal Cleanup Day was a huge success, eradicating cigarette butts and plastic water bottles from the sands beneath our feet. We did our part for the community, and had a great time and, once again, the Roundhouse helped to make our beaches clean and beautiful.
I have been
volunteering at the Roundhouse for over a year now.
I normally work in the Roundhouse itself at the end of Manhattan Beach’s pier.
I help keep the tanks clean, check on the health of the sea life in the tanks,
and talk to young and old about what I have learned. The Roundhouse has
encouraged me to make people aware of the state of our environment. Now,
whenever I see a person leave trash behind, I pick it up and throw it away. I
also get my friends more involved in the community. I enjoy volunteering at the
Aquarium, but being on the beach for the clean up on this hot and sunny day
really brought home to me why I help - it’s all about maintaining the gift of
the beach and the ocean, literally at our community’s feet.” ~Ben
Whistler