THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 21, 1994 TAG: 9408190282
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
They're known as ``Dot and the Kids.''
They can be spotted at least once a month crouched around the shoulders of West Neck Road plucking food wrappers, soda cans and cigarette butts from the ground and stuffing them into trash bags.
Dorothy Hinman and her little friends - Robert Twiford, 10; Karin Flood, 10; and Lecia Basnight, 8 - have adopted their neighborhood, Day Dream Trailer Court, in their battle against litter.
``Trash is sloppy,'' Robert said. ``It's terrible.''
Lecia says she wants to ``help the environment so animals can live.''
Hinman says the children are the driving force in their clean-up crew. ``They push me and remind me when we haven't gone out in a while,'' Hinman said. ``These kids get really upset when people dump trash on the road.''
The garbage gang was honored Aug. 11 with other environmentally conscious citizens at the Clean Community Commission's Community Environmental Service Awards Breakfast. Volunteers donated 20,000 hours last year in environmental activities, which represents about $130,000 worth of services to the city.
Dot and the Kids, as well as 12 other groups, received a Certificate of Distinction for their work with the city's Adopt-A-Program.
The headliner award, The Environmental Hall of Fame, went to City Councilman Robert K. Dean, a champion of environmental causes.
Dean, said Clean Community Commission chairman Maurice B. Jackson, ``is known for his words and action for caring for the environment, the world we live in. . . .
Among his accomplishments, Dean founded Clean the Bay Day, is chairman of Earth Day festivities, helped start the Southeastern Association for Virginia's Environment (SAVE) and initiated a monthly environmental breakfast.
A special award was presented to Jackson by Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf for ``being a doing leader and not just an ordering leader.''
Awards of Excellence were presented to:
Daniel A. Baxter, an active participant in all Clean Community Commission activities. He also works with Clean the Bay Day, Earth Day and storm drain stenciling.
Sue Carlyle, president of the Virginia Beach chapter of the Audubon Society and active in Clean the Bay Day. She takes an active interest in conservation issues and speaks before the Planning Commission and City Council.
Sheldon L. Corner, who is active in the Clean Community Commission, Clean the Bay Day and Adopt-A-Street.
Mary M. Heinricht, who works with the Council of Civic Organizations, the Southern Watershed Committee and SAVE. She also serves as a liaison between the environmental community and the business community and is working with the Tidewater Builders Association on environmental standards for commercial sites in Chesapeake Bay preservation areas.
Anne J. Henry, who is active in the Virginia Beach chapter of the Audubon Society and Clean the Bay Day.
Awards of Merit were presented to: Mary Reid Barrow, Mary Perkins Brown, Marlayne Castelluzzo, Sandy Copp, Arlene Keener, Eleanor Kelley, Anne Mannarino, Barbara Mastic, Thomas Muckle, Daniel O'Toole, Steve Pahno and Kathleen Reed. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by Charlie MEads
Dorothy Hinman, center, and, left to right, Karin Flood, Robert
Twiford and Lecia Basnight, are battling litter in their
neighborhood.
by CNB