April is LitterBlitz month in Oklahoma City! It takes a community to keep our city clean, and once again, volunteers from the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC) devoted their Saturday morning by collecting nearly 80 large trash bags of litter from roadsides nearby.

Thanks to Oklahoma City Beautiful, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, volunteers were able to give back and connect with friends, neighbors, civic clubs, and coworkers as well as the environment in a safe and easy way.

Each year, thousands of Oklahoma City residents work together to help pick up litter throughout the Oklahoma City metro area, collecting tons of trash from our streets. Despite temperatures in the low 50’s and winds over 25 mph, employees with their families and friends came prepared to clean up nearby areas from 9am-Noon on Saturday, April 15^th, 2023.

Volunteers could choose from three designated areas near the Center to collect litter: SW 54^th and MacArthur Blvd. to the MMAC’s West Gate; from the MMAC’s West gate to SW 74^th and MacArthur Blvd.; and from the South gate of MMAC to SW 89^th Street and MacArthur Blvd.

Supplies were provided by OKC Beautiful (rubber gloves, trash bags and bright yellow safety vests). Bryan Dahlvang provided oversight of MMAC’s participation in the program, and he kicked off the 2023 event with a safety briefing.

Within a few hours, almost 80 large garbage bags were collected and brought to a centralized location for the city to pick up. One volunteer noted that it pays to participate in LitterBlitz, because he found a twenty-dollar bill!

Javier Cruz, FAA Academy Instructor (AMA-250), found "everything but the kitchen sink." Actually, he found a bathroom sink. Cruz says, "I look forward to next time. Maybe I’ll find a bathtub!" Special thanks to him for going the extra mile, hauling most of the trash bags with his truck to the main pile near SW 89^th and MacArthur Boulevard.

Aaron Thacker, Program Manager for the FAA Logistics Center’s Technical Programs and Support Team (AJW-L830) brought his daughter and said, "We had a great time, and this was for a good cause!" While participating in LitterBlitz, they found a Rain Bird sprinkler screwdriver and a pair of pliers among other debris.

Dawrenda Cooper, Budget Analyst (AJW-2210), (who personally invited the Western Heights High School JROTC program to help with LitterBlitz a few years ago), loves participating in the program. "I enjoy helping clean up Oklahoma," she said. "We could not believe the number of nails, screws and metal pieces that were found along the curb-line. Next year, we will bring a magnet to help keep people from getting flat tires."

Michelle Coppedge, Director of the FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center states, "MMAC’s LitterBlitz brought together dozens of volunteers with a common goal – keeping our city beautiful! On behalf of the FAA, I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to the employees, students and volunteers for making this a huge success."

Though the wind was high and the temperature was not as comfortable as it could have been, the event went well, and attitudes from kind people with servant-hearts warmed the entire area.