Annual TRIO day gives students opportunities to give back to their community
Mason Ramirez / The Mainstream
TRIO students celebrated the annual National TRIO Day by joining with Student Services members and Upward Bound program students to travel to Bandon, Oregon on Feb. 24 for a volunteer-based beach clean-up opportunity.
Students picked up trash from the beach in Bandon, taking it back to Washed Ashore, a non-profit organization aimed to educate and raise awareness about marine pollution through various art sculptures. 12 Million tons of plastic find their way into the ocean every year, 9.5 tons from land, and 1.75 tons from ships directly from the fishing industry. The Canadian Geographic estimates that by 2050 there will be more trash than fish in the ocean. Washed Ashore has collected over 60,000 pounds of trash equal to 30 tons less plastic put into our oceans. This volunteer opportunity allowed diverse students to contribute to less pollution. Washed Ashore also provided them with experiences valuable for scholarship applications.
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