Teen Volunteers Clean Chateaugay Before Memorial Day

Every spring for more than a decade, teenagers in Chateaugay, New York, have turned community service into a tradition worth celebrating.

On May 17, members of the Chateaugay Adventures 4-H Club joined forces with students from the CCS National Honor Society for their annual village cleanup. The group of 18 young volunteers met at the village office before fanning out across different neighborhoods, armed with bags and gloves.

"Each year we enjoy a friendly competition between groups to see how much garbage we all can pick up," explained club secretary Kelsea Riley. The friendly rivalry adds energy to hard work that makes a real difference.

Among the volunteers were Anna Dalton, Ainsley Crawford, Drew Crawford, and Kelsea Riley, who focused their efforts near local waterways. Others like Zoey Perkins, Luke Dalton, Connor Finnell, and John Decosse tackled different sections of town.

The timing isn't random. The students deliberately schedule their cleanup before Memorial Day to ensure the village looks its best for the holiday parade. "We take great pride in what we do in the community," Riley wrote.

The teenagers don't stop at picking up trash. They also plant flowers and clean up the Fireman Memorial Park, keeping the space beautiful for residents and honoring local heroes who served the community.

The Ripple Effect

This annual effort creates safer streets for families and protects local animals from hazardous litter. When teenagers see garbage as their problem to solve, they're less likely to contribute to it. The competition element transforms what could feel like a chore into an event young people actually look forward to each year.

Their work also sets an example for younger kids in Chateaugay, showing that caring for your hometown is something to be proud of. For over a decade, this tradition has shaped hundreds of young people who learned that community building starts with rolled-up sleeves.

Small towns thrive when young people invest in them, and these volunteers prove that caring for your corner of the world never goes out of style.