Two 10-year-old boys have started a club for kids cleaning up parks in their community, and the city council has publicly thanked them for it.
The idea for kids cleaning up parks came from Raylan Jenkins, who started picking up rubbish at his school playground with friends before turning it into a club called the Cool Cleaning Crew in Springville, Utah, according to KSL.
“So we started picking up trash, and it made a lot of us really happy, so we turned it into a club,” Raylan said.
The CCC, as Raylan calls it, meets at a different Springville park each week. The crew has cleaned three parks so far and plans two more before the school year ends.
“We don’t do it for the money but for the world,” Raylan said.
Raylan’s mother, Becca Jenkins, said her son came home from a friend’s house and told her the club was already in motion.
“They’re goofy, crazy boys, so I assumed it was something silly. And then it was the Cool Cleaning Crew, where they’d pick a different park every week to meet up and pick up trash,” she said.
Raylan and his co-founder Hank Skinner kept pressing their mothers to print flyers so the club could grow.
“We wanted to make a club and also help the world. It makes me feel happy to see all the kids helping to clean up the parks,” Hank said.
The first time the kids cleaning up parks turned out, only five children came – and it was snowing.
“The first day we met … it was snowing. There was only five of them, but they were out in the snow, the freezing cold, picking up trash at this park. They are very, very devoted to it,” Jenkins said.
Raylan said he still had fun.
“It makes me feel happy because I feel like I’m doing the right thing for everyone,” he said. “We’re just doing it to help out. We don’t want all the glory, we just want to feel good.”
Hank’s mother, Shaina Skinner, said her son had always cared about not littering.
“I was impressed that their plan wasn’t just about having fun. They truly wanted to do something that would make a difference,” Skinner said. “I am so proud that he and Raylan put this into action, and I hope more kids throughout Springville will join in.”
The Springville City Council and mayor highlighted the club on social media earlier this week.
“Their ongoing efforts have already drawn widespread appreciation and stand as a powerful example of civic pride and community stewardship at any age,” the city said in a statement.
“These kids are setting an outstanding example. Their actions reflect the very best of Springville – service, responsibility and care for one another. They are showing us that leadership is not defined by age, but by willingness to act.”
Raylan plans to keep the club running through the summer, when the parks see heavier use and more trash. He hopes more children will join in.
“Everything helps. Even just picking up a wrapper from the ground, that helps a lot,” Raylan said.
