A Sea of Support for WeHOPE's Jeongja Beach Clean Up.

A team of 30+ We HOPE volunteers came together Saturday April 27th, 2019 in hopes of beautifying Jeongja beach. This was We HOPE's second beach clean up this year, the first was last month at Jinha Beach .

The day started off a bit chilly but as time passed and garbage was picked up, the sun shone down warming the hardworking volunteers. This particular clean up saw returning volunteers and some new faces as well, including police officers from the Dong-bu Police Station and the Gangdong Patrol Police Station. One officer was very touched by several aspects of the event. First and foremost he was surprised, and slightly humbled that the volunteer group contained foreign residents. Secondly, as a smoker he saw first hand how many cigarette butts were picked up and vowed not only to mindfully throw his butts in the ashtray from then on, but also to alert his friends and coworkers that they too can have an impact on the cleanliness of their surroundings by taking the extra step to properly dispose of their trash.

Volunteers were adamant when expressing their opinions on how there needs to be more programs and awareness to keep our beaches clean. Upon first glance most felt that there wasn't much to pick up, however once they got started they realized the severity of the situation. Along with an aesthetically pleasing beach, volunteers commented on the importance of educating the youth not to follow in the same footsteps as generations before them, and doing the best they can to leave a beautiful country for their descendants. This second beach clean up saw an increased number of children in attendance and one inquired why we have to pick up all of the small pieces. A volunteer explained that the small pieces of plastic and other garbage is what fish and birds might mistake as food and picking it up is equally important as picking up the larger objects.

As a thank you to the hardworking volunteers who spent their morning hunched over picking up trash from the rocky beach, We HOPE provided hot coffee (served in recyclable paper cups ) and the police provided shower gift sets as a token of their appreciation.

A big thank you goes out to all of the volunteers and a special shout out for Ms. Jenny Yang and Nate Mandigo for organizing and coordinating the event.

The next WeHOPE Beach Clean Up will be held at JUJEON BEACH. The date has yet to be determined but follow us on Facebook , Instagram ,or check out our website.