Words from the Chamber

One of the advantages of writing a column such as this is that it gives me the opportunity to rant a bit about something that appalls or disappoints me. This week is devoted to disappointments that cropped up from participating in a volunteer effort over the weekend.

I joined up with Kathy Brandt at the General Grant Headquarters pulloff on Route 24 at 9 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, April 2, and proceeded to pick up trash along a portion of the highway. My first disappointment is the fact that people choose to throw trash out of their vehicle rather than hold it for deposit in a receptacle at their destination.

Almost anywhere that one is headed — shopping, restaurant, home — has a place to deposit such litter. My collection of beverage containers, fast food wrappings and miscellaneous items would not have created the unsightly mess had they been properly disposed of.

A second disappointment relates to a certain display of cynicism. A passerby made a comment to Kathy to the effect that he hoped that she was enjoying her work while getting paid $15-20 per hour for it. He changed his tune a bit when he was informed that she was doing the clean-up as a volunteer effort, unable to tolerate the trash.

Next in line is the lack of volunteerism. Although Kathy had publicized the effort, the total sum of those that showed up to help was four individuals — Kathy, myself, Ann Braun (70-plus) and high school student Catori Raskin. It seems that volunteerism is dying in our society.

Those that have a tendency toward helping others are now getting too old to put out the effort. Each successive generation since the great depression has seemingly become more “me” centric. Even church and service organizations have had to become more socially and entertainment oriented to attract members.

Finally, one of the areas that was cleaned up by Kathy (a 66-year-old volunteer) was the roadway that connects Walmart with the Shoppes of Appomattox shopping center. This byway is totally on Walmart property and is not maintained by VDOT or anyone else. It should be the responsibility of Walmart to keep it relatively clean.

I am not one of the crowd that likes to bash Walmart because it is a giant that dominates certain segments of commerce. To the contrary, in our community, Walmart is a commercial draw that brings in shoppers from other communities and feeds our local businesses in many ways. They are also much more receptive toward helping civic organizations and the community than some of the other larger entities.

I will, on behalf of the chamber, compose a letter to their management requesting that they take a more proactive approach to keeping the referenced area clean. At the very least, clean up should be scheduled immediately prior to our annual commemoration of the 1865 surrender and again in preparation for the Historic Appomattox Railroad Festival, times when visitation to our community is increased.

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