RELEASED: Dec. 12, 2002

DANVILLE, KY—Lee and Charlie Boyd are brothers with a mission. And their mission has brought them recognition as December's Volunteers of the Month and the gratitude of a community.

While camping this summer with friends at the Stanford Reservoir, Lee, a junior, and Charlie, a freshman, were disturbed to find the area marred by litter.

"Although the area is a great resource for camping, fishing, canoeing and picnicking, the grounds were covered in trash," Charlie said.

The brothers decided they were tired of camping in such a mess and decided to do something about it.

During a visit to campus, Danville Mayor-Elect John Bowling put them in touch with city and state officials who gratefully accepted their offer to commit time and energy to cleaning up the reservoir.

"We asked various campus organizations for financial and volunteer support," Charlie said. "The response from the campus was overwhelming. What was planned to be a four-hour project was finished in two hours."

Trina McFarland, director of volunteer services said, "From the very beginning, the Reservoir Clean-Up Project was [Charlie and Lee's] own. They gathered information, gained the support of their peers and others, organized volunteers and materials, and saw the project through to its conclusion. They showed great initiative, put their hearts into their work, and completed this project because it needed to be done, showing no concern for recognition."

But their clean-up project doesn't stop there. Lee says they have a five-year plan.

"The city of Stanford is building a water tower [at the reservoir] in the spring, and the roads are really a mess. We've talked to the city and hope to improve the roads in conjunction with the water tower project."

Another part of their long-term goal is to work with the city of Stanford to landscape the waterfront and add some picnic tables.

"By beautifying the area, hopefully we will encourage those who use the reservoir in the future to treat it with more respect," Charlie said.

When asked his thoughts on volunteerism, Lee said: "One of the reasons I came to Centre is to become a good citizen. I think one of the things Centre and volunteerism teaches you is how to do that."

The volunteer award program at Centre recognizes some of the many students who provide service to the local community. Each year, around 60 percent of all Centre College students become community volunteers. The college encourages volunteer service with a community service day each year as part of the orientation for first-year students. For more information, contact Trina McFarland, assistant director of student life for service and leadership development, at (859) 238-5479 or e-mail mcfarlnd@centre.edu.

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