Community Cleanup
D&E student athletes work to beautify Elkins
Submitted photo Student athletes from Davis & Elkins College pose for a photo in front of City Hall after taking part in an activity that helped beautify downtown on Wednesday. More than 300 students took part in the town-wide cleanup that was part of a community service program.
The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley Members of the Davis & Elkins baseball team Payton Bennett, left, and Isaac Lane pick up trash next to First United Methodist Church on Fourth Street Tuesday evening. The players were taking part in a community cleanup in downtown Elkins.
Submitted photo Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco speaks with the more than 300 students that gathered in in front of City Hall during a community cleanup held in downtown Elkins on Tuesday.
The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley Student athletes from Davis & Elkins College walked the railroad tracks gathering trash next to the Railyard Depot Tuesday afternoon. The students were taking part in a community service program at the college.
Submitted photo Student athletes from Davis & Elkins College pose for a photo in front of City Hall after taking part in an activity that helped beautify downtown on Wednesday. More than 300 students took part in the town-wide cleanup that was part of a community service program.
The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley Members of the Davis & Elkins baseball team Payton Bennett, left, and Isaac Lane pick up trash next to First United Methodist Church on Fourth Street Tuesday evening. The players were taking part in a community cleanup in downtown Elkins.
Submitted photo Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco speaks with the more than 300 students that gathered in in front of City Hall during a community cleanup held in downtown Elkins on Tuesday.
The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley Student athletes from Davis & Elkins College walked the railroad tracks gathering trash next to the Railyard Depot Tuesday afternoon. The students were taking part in a community service program at the college.
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ELKINS -- More than 300 student athletes from Davis & Elkins College took part in a community cleanup initiative in downtown Tuesday.
Almost every sport at D&E was represented during the event, which is part of the college's community service programming for students. The cleanup partnership had been held in recent years, but was put on hold for several years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"We had around 350 student athletes participate in the cleanup, which is an amazing number," Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco told The Inter-Mountain. "I think there was only one team missing today, and it was one of the soccer teams, and it was because they were on the road playing a game."
A sea of scarlet flooded through most of downtown Elkins during the event, as students engaged in various activities to beautify the city, such as weeding and collecting trash.
"They wanted to go through and actually scrub the city," Marco said. "They wanted to make it look better and more presentable for everyone. The fact that they took time out to spend a couple hours downtown is a tremendous thing for us and it speaks volumes about their character.
"I hope the citizens who are being disrespectful and throwing things on the ground will take a little more pride themselves and throw things in the trash instead of on the ground."
At the end of the cleanup, all of the students gathered in front of City Hall ,where Marco and Elkins Operation Manager Mike Kesecker, who provided the supplies for the event, thanked the athletes for their service.
Patrick Snively, the D&E Director of Athletics, expressed his gratitude to the students for their significant turnout.
Elkins City Councilwoman Nanci Bross-Fregonara, Operations Assistant Melody Himes, Operations Administrative Assistant Shanna Poe and Communication Specialist Jeremy Deighan were also present to support the initiative.
"I encourage our community to go get behind our student athletes at D&E," said Marco. "They not only represent the college, but they also represent the city of Elkins and the county, so we need to back them.
"That's our local college team, so I'd like to see the community get behind them and cheer them on. They all work hard and it's hard to be a student athlete with all the hours they put in studying and trying to perfect their skills."
Being a 1990 graduate of Davis & Elkins College, Marco admittedly has a special place in his heart for the school and said he can't thank the college and students enough for their help.
"I commend Davis & Elkins College and the athletic department for encouraging this kind of relationship with the City," said Marco.
"I love everything they are doing at D&E and the fact that their students bought in and wanted to do this for the city is tremendous," the mayor said. We appreciate all their help."