Katerina Darvoudis may have to try a few times to pick up the tossed away gum wrapper with her grabber stick.
The task takes more than twice as long for the little Brookswood girl who just turned three this spring since the grabber stick is about as tall as Katerina.
But her dad Stavros is willing to involve her in the Adopt-A-Street sections they have, so she learns about giving back and being greener.
The family has adopted a kilometre in front of their home along 200th Street and shares on a section of 33A Avenue with another family.
“We have a blast doing it,†he said.
Those who take part in the Adopt programs are asked to make the rounds once a month. (Complete details on the Township Adopt programs are available online or at the Township Civic Facility.)
In February, Stavros and Katerina collected seven bags of garbage, a fairly average amount in the year they’ve been doing this.
They’ve collected all manner of items. On a recent outing, they found the typical Tim Hortons cups and lids, food wrappers, and even a large chunk of house siding. Previous trips have turned up mattresses, Christmas trees, toilet seats, construction debris, tires, and other big items.
Stavros said he’s been surprised about how much is tossed away. In addition to helping make the neighbourhood cleaner, Stavros and his wife, Maria, got involved to instill a sense of community in their girls.
“This is just a great way to give back to the community and for my daughter to learn to give back,†Stavros said.
Right now the appeal for a three-year-old is spending time with daddy, but Katerina is looking forward to teaching her six-month-old sister, Iliana, how to wield her grabber tool and clean up the neighbourhood.
In addition to helping clean the roadsides, Katerina will be front and centre in the family yard for the gardening of fruits, vegetables and flowers, and has a favourite thing to grow – “flowers.â€
What’s her favourite flower?
“I like pink,†Katerina said.