Oregon Bay Area Beautification - OBAB

🌟 Success at Our 2nd Saturday Cleanup! 🌟

What an incredible morning we had! The day started off cool, with volunteers trickling in, eager to find the project that excited them the most. Helpers assisted with sign-ins and equipment checkout, and soon everyone was off to tackle their tasks. 💪

Our amazing volunteers took on various projects, including:

Blowing debris off trails 🍃
Tackling invasive English Ivy and freeing our beautiful tall trees 🌳
Litter removal to keep our park pristine 🗑️
Here’s what we accomplished together:

40 volunteers showed up with enthusiasm and dedication 👥
6 cubic yards of trash collected 🚮
3 cubic yards of English Ivy removed from about 12 trees 🌿
1 large bag of dog droppings collected by a couple of brave volunteers 🐾
Over 3 miles of trails cleared of debris 🚶‍♂️
The park looks fantastic thanks to the hard work of our volunteers and the ongoing efforts to beautify our community. A huge shout-out to the City of Coos Bay Parks Department for their support and appreciation. 🙏

Special thanks to Lions Head Landscaping for donating time and equipment to help blow the trails. Your contribution made a big difference! 🌬️

We appreciate teams to come out in support for the cleanups! Kudos to the Coos County Democrats team who came ready to work. 👏

We’re excited to announce that we’ll be returning to John Topits Park in September. We hope to see another large turnout to help beautify this wonderful park in Coos Bay. Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks. 📅

Thank you to everyone who came out and made this cleanup a great success. Our community shines brighter because of you! 🌟

Remember, we are signing in at the Hull Street entrance today for our clean up!

One of the main objectives at this next 2nd Saturday clean up (this Saturday, August 10th, sign in starts at 9:45am!) is to help blow off and clear out these trails. Coos Bay Parks department has only 1 full-time employee along with some part time temp workers. 😲
They have been working so hard this summer with the many events Coos Bay hosts in the park that they could use our help here at John Topits!
They will be loaning out backpack blowers for our volunteers to use. See you Saturday!

Thank you to all the volunteers who beautified this important spot that helps us remember our veterans. *Home of the Free, because of the Brave*

Love this!

🌟 Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers who came to give downtown North Bend some love during July Jubilee for OBAB’s 2nd Saturday Cleanup. The weather was cool and calm on this summer morning. 🌞

👥 28 volunteers came eager to walk the streets through Main Street, looking for litter and pulling weeds from sidewalks. A small truckload was accumulated from just 2 hours of work! 🚛 Litter is blown all about the streets from residents, motorists, and dumpsters frequently on windy days, so there was litter in all sorts of nooks and crannies along the streets and lots. 🌬️🗑️

🙏 Appreciation goes out to the City of North Bend and North Bend Main Street for providing space for sign-ins, 🌭Papa Dogg’s for a complimentary meal for volunteers, NW Natural for letting us borrow their canopy, Bay Area Hospital for assembling a team Coos County Democrats for assembling a team, and Jordon Totty from U of O for offering a research survey for coastal residents. (Link to survey in the comments for those interested). Special thanks to Carla, Lucy, Allyse, and Kalea for helping with setup and breakdown!

📅 Our next two cleanups (Aug 10 and Sept 14) will be focused on John Topits Park. We hope to see another large turnout to help beautify this wonderful park in Coos Bay. 🌳✨

🤝 Please reach out to us if you are interested in joining OBAB for project planning - or even joining our board. We can always use friendly faces for set up and sign-ins as well. 😊

🔗 Check back here for details or visit 4obab.org for our cleanups.

⭐️OBAB 2024 Mid-Year Presidents Report ⭐️

🙌Greetings to our wonderful volunteers, you are the doers in Oregon’s Bay Area. You are all tireless in spreading OBAB’s message about making and keeping our area beautiful but you also walk the walk. Thank you for keeping your grabbers handy and picking up trash as you are on your daily walks, when you are with your kids at a playground and as you run errands. Thank you for being a voice for our public spaces at City Council and various committee meetings. And thank you especially for coming out to OBAB’s 2nd Saturday Cleanups. Many hands really do make light work.

Here is an accounting of what we have been able to accomplish in the 1st half of 2024.

· 45 Cubic yards of trash and 15.5 cubic yards of debris removed from our local parks and public spaces.
· 40 trees planted in John Topits Park.
· Approximately 40 plots at Marshfield Pioneer cemetery were spruced up.
· 564 volunteer hours at six clean up events.

We have had an average of 42 volunteers at OBAB run 2nd Saturday Clean up events for this year so far which is up by 2 from our average in 2023. OBAB’s board would like to raise that average to 50 for this year and we think we can do it with your help.

Please continue to share our message and our events. Bring a friend or family member and come give even just 1/2 hour of your time. The more volunteers these events have, the greater the impact and the good.

I’d like to also take this chance to thank my fellow board members. Catie Loy has been tireless in helming OBAB’s PR (she is behind all the cool posters, etc) and keeping us on a good financial track as Treasurer. Jennifer Meredith has spent countless hours in record keeping and organization efforts as our Secretary and Sign in person. Rich McCann has been a steadfast VP, stepping in when needed and doing many unseen and underappreciated jobs to keep us running smoothly. Andrea McCann has been our purchasing wizard; protecting our OBAB funds by finding deals for the items we need to keep on trucking. Next time you see one of these folks at our clean ups please thank them. They put in a lot of work behind the scenes.

We are hoping to find more people to help us with those behind-the-scenes work, sticking with the theme of ‘many hands make light work.’ If you are interested in helping out on our planning committee (.5-hour meeting commitment monthly) or on our OBAB board (2 hour meeting commitment monthly) please reach out to me or one of the above mentioned OBAB Board members.

Thank you again,
Beth Chu
OBAB Board President

*UPDATE to our schedule! We have fine tuned plans for July and we have swapped Oct and Nov. We hope to see your smiling faces soon! 💚

🌿🌟 Team OBAB had a blast at the 2nd Saturday Cleanup for the United Way Day of Caring Event! Armed with tools and enthusiasm, they pulled 8 bags of weeds in just 2.5 hours. The homeowner was grateful and impressed by their swift work. 🙌🏡

Big shoutout to all the volunteers and teams who joined us for the United Way Day of Caring—together, we brightened our community! ☀️🏠

Looking beautiful, City of North Bend - Oregon!

🌟 Community Heroes Assemble! 🌟

✨ Another spectacular Saturday spent safeguarding the serenity of Coos Bay! ✨

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Over 40 spirited volunteers united to uphold the legacy of our cherished Marshfield Pioneer Cemetery. From the young to the young-at-heart, everyone dove into action with gusto!

🌱 W**d-whacking warriors, invasive-busters, and shrub-shapers transformed the grounds into a pristine paradise.

🍕 The day wrapped up with a delicious slice of gratitude, served up by none other than Domino’s Pizza.

🙌 A heartfelt THANK YOU goes out to every single volunteer, student, and crews from US Bank and Wal-Mart of Coos Bay. Your dedication makes all the difference!

Keep your eyes peeled for our the 2nd Saturday Cleanup for June. Join forces with Team OBAB for the United Way Day of Caring. Let’s lend a hand to those in need and keep the tranquility thriving!

💪 Ready to make a difference? Stay tuned for details on how to join the cause. Together, we’re not just cleaning up; we’re lifting spirits and building a stronger community. 💚

Congrats to an OBAB Superstar ⭐️ Volunteer Derek Tonn who helped Team SWOCC win the award at the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce 101 Brigade. We appreciate the community effort to Help Beautify our Bay Area!! 💚

Come see OBAB at the new South Coast Market at Pony Village Mall. We have bottle drop bags, swag, and info on our cleanups!

Help find the trash trophy!!
*We were the champions last year but got a different trophy.*

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR BAY AREA BRIGADE - HWY 101 CLEAN-UP TRASH TROPHY!?!
MISSING:LAST SEEN WITH THE CITY OF COOS BAY IN 2019
WANTED: CALL 541-266-0868
REWARD IF FOUND - PLEASE SHARE.

Thank you to the City of North Bend - Oregon for recognizing OBAB for our volunteer efforts with North Bend. 💚 We appreciate the recognition!

Not a 2nd Saturday clean up but the Coos Watershed Association has asked for our help to spread the word about this W**d Wrangle coming up on Saturday, April 27th. 10-12 at Airport Heights Park. Come if you can and help spread the word!

🎉 **Ferry Road Park - Cleanup Success!** 🎉

😄It was a great Saturday afternoon with the weather cooperating, but the bugs were biting. Luckily we were moving fast through the park and the woods and accomplished a great deal!🌞

Here's the scoop:

- **44 amazing volunteers** of all ages joined forces at Ferry Road Park, transforming the playground, trails and woods into a haven for nature lovers. 🌳👫
- Under the majestic McCollough Bridge and along the scenic Pittum Loop, and along the bay trail, volunteers filled a whopping **6-yard dumpster** with trash! 🚮🏆
- A big shout-out to the City of North Bend - Oregon and the Parks Department for fueling our volunteers with a delicious lunch of hamburgers and hot dogs! 🍔🌭
- Kudos to NW Natural for providing the extra tent, ensuring everyone stayed cool and comfortable. ⛺️
- A heartfelt thank you to the teams from Roseburg Forest Products, Walmart Coos Bay and Bay Area Hospital for lending their hands and hearts to the cause. 👷‍♀️👷‍♂️
- And to each and every volunteer, your energy and dedication are what make these events a success. You're not just cleaning up a park; you're nurturing the soul of our community. 💚

Together, we're not just picking up trash; we're lifting up spirits and setting the stage for a brighter, cleaner tomorrow. Our community is gleaming thanks to your care and commitment.

Stay tuned for more adventures with OBAB, where every second Saturday is a chance to be a local hero! 🦸‍♀️🦸‍♂️