Time to clean up the town

NR4R founder Cindy DeLuca with rubbish collected from Healesville and surrounds. PICTURES: SUPPLIED

Dongyun Kwon

No Reason 4 Rubbish (NR4R) is calling for local kids to participate in its cleaning-up event on 10 September.

It will be the first event for kids since the group was formed.

NR4R founder Cindy DeLuca said it would be a great start to education for kids.

“They are our future and we have to educate them to keep our community free from rubbish,” she said.

The group has organised the event with support from the local community.

Healesville Community Bendigo Bank has supported the event by offering $100 to three winners of the colouring-in competition from each age group (4-6, 7-9, 10-12).

“They have provided the colouring-in competition prizes, are collecting the entry forms for us and displaying them,” NR4R treasurer Michelle Zwagerman said.

The winners of the colouring-in competition will be selected by Healesville Community Bendigo Bank staff on Thursday 7 September, with the winners announced during the event.

The Valley Community Recovery Committee also supported the event under ‘Helping Communities Rebound Grants Program VIC’.

“This has enabled us to offer the kid’s kits which contain a hi-vis safety vest with our logo, kid’s gloves, grabbers and NR4R stickers,” Ms Zwagerman said.

“The grant has also covered the promotion costs.”

The event will start at 9.30am at Coronation Park, located at 105A River Street in Healesville.

Kids will pick up rubbish around Healesville focusing on parks and the main street.

NR4R was formed by two passionate local ladies, Cindy DeLuca and Kylie Shorter, who had the same goal of making a cleaner town in 2020.

Ms DeLuca said she organised the group because there was “no reason for rubbish”.

“I had been picking up rubbish for years and I met another lady who had the same passion as me,” she said.

“Because of Covid-19, we had lots of free time and we just decided to put together a group on Facebook, then it just grew from there.”

They have been cleaning up mostly on the first Sunday of every month.

Their Facebook group has reached almost 500 members so far.