Mark Remy had a bone to pick with the City of Portland.
“Almost three years ago now, I was noticing more and more litter,” he said.
Remy is a writer and editor who lives in Portland, Ore. with his wife and kids.
“I told my wife one day, ‘I am so fed up with this litter. I’m going to go downtown and collect a bag full of it and leave it on the steps of city hall.'”
At that point in his life, Remy didn’t have much experience doing volunteer work. So, when his wife suggested that he channel his frustration into community service, he was intrigued.
“I did some Googling and that’s how I found SOLVE.”
SOLVE, an approximate acronym for “stop Oregon litter and vandalism,” is a non-profit that began in 1969, dedicated to cleaning up litter and things like graffiti, broken windows and damage to public property across the state and in neighboring Washington.
“They give you a trash grabber and some bags and a pair of gloves, and they send you out into the neighborhood and you come back later with your bags full of trash.”
Remy joined a clean-up organized by the group three years ago and has been involved ever since. And while Remy says the work itself is “not very glamorous, not very sexy,” he finds it gratifying.
“Today, especially more and more, the average person can feel really overwhelmed, really hopeless,” he says. “Well, here’s something you can do.”
He says that even actions as small as picking up trash can have a big impact.
“You pick up trash. And by the time you’re done, that little corner of the world is a little bit nicer than it was before you got there. And what a great feeling.”
Remy now runs SOLVE events as a volunteer leader. And when he thanks volunteers for participating, he likes to remind them: “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.”
To tell us your own story about how being a volunteer has shaped your life or nominate someone you think we should profile, fill out this form.
Transcript:
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Time now for our series Here To Help. We’ve been collecting stories of listeners who volunteer about what it means to them. Mark Remy from Portland, Oregon, told us that he would volunteer from time to time for various causes, but he had never really done anything on a regular basis. That is until a few years ago, when he became more aware of an issue that affects a lot of communities – litter.
MARK REMY: It started to really bother me to the point where I told my wife one day, I am so fed up with this litter. I’m going to go downtown and collect bagfuls of it and leave it on the steps of City Hall. And my wife probably rolled her eyes, at least to herself, but she said, you know, I bet there are groups out there that do that kind of thing on a recurring basis. It’s like their mission. And I thought, you know what? Maybe you’re right.
CHANG: After looking up some organizations online, Remy signed up with Solve, a nonprofit that began in 1969 dedicated to cleaning up litter and vandalism all across Oregon. Remy took part in a cleanup organized by Solve in downtown Portland about three years ago. He’s continued to take part in cleanup events ever since.
REMY: They give you a trash grabber and some bags and a pair of gloves, and they send you out into the neighborhood. And you come back later with your bags full of trash, and soon after that, a hauler comes and hauls it away, and you get on with your day. It’s not very glamorous, not very sexy, but picking up trash is such a gratifying way to give back to your community because you make an impact. You make a difference immediately. By the time you’re done, that little corner of the world is a little bit nicer than it was before you got there. And what a great feeling.
And it scratched this itch I didn’t realize I had, which is that today especially, more and more, you know, the average person can feel really overwhelmed, really hopeless, really helpless. Well, here’s something you can do. And is it going to change the world? No. But like I said, it’s going to make your corner of the world a little bit nicer. I did not make this up myself, but I love it. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. And I think that’s a pretty powerful way to look at the world.
CHANG: That was Mark Remy, a volunteer from Portland, Oregon. You can find more stories of volunteerism in America and share your own story about giving back at npr.org/heretohelp.
