Justin Rudd’s 30-Minute Beach Cleanup

Justin Rudd is awesome. He hosts the Long Beach Losers competition. He runs the Turkey Trot. He has a Book Exchange. He has cool things in his duffel bag when he’s not looking. Because he gives to Long Beach, I decided to give back, so my wife and I finally went to a beach clean-​up (I’ve only lived in Long Beach 23 years). We went to the 200^th!
So, we show up, and a bunch of teen beauty queens (literally, with sashes and all) hand us a disposable glove and a bag. Another hands me a raffle ticket, for which we’re instructed to come back in 30 minutes. There’s a row of people scouring the sand for trash, mostly straws, wrappers, and chunks of styrofoam and I feel like I’m looking for Teresa Halbach’s body. Even though I see a lot of people ahead of me (seemingly a lot of students there for credit, taking selfies), I am surprised I’m filling up my bag. It’s exercise, too, because me bending down to pick up something feels like a vertical sit-​up.
We come back in time for the raffle, and we get the National Anthem, some words from Justin, sponsors, and surprise guest Long Beach resident and 4 time Olympic Gold medalist Misty May Trainor. And best of all, there’s free cookies, coffee and hot chocolate from Corner Bakery, and free coconut waters from O.N.E. (I took T.W.O.) and free leftover Turkey Trot t-​shirts (it’s like when they give third world kids the pre-​made Seahawks Superbowl Champions 2015 t-​shirts).

A new year, a new resolution.
If somehow, your resolution for this year is to volunteer more and give back to the community, here’s a rather simple yet helpful way to do so.
Cleanup starts at 10:00am but you can come in as early as 9:30am to avail free parking in the lot or you can opt for free street parking if you decide to come in earlier.
When I first started attending the cleanups, volunteers were provided with large trash bags. You know, the hefty kind. And I noticed that sometimes it doesn’t get full and it seemed like a waste for each volunteer to have one. Thankfully, that has now changed and Justin and his crew now recommends that volunteers bring their own trash bags in the form of grocery bags.
Always in the 3^rd Saturday of every month, rain or shine.
And if the beach is not your thing, check out Justin’s website
for other opportunities.

Review 250 ! Here’s my PSA as part of the terms of my Unilocal parole:
Once upon a time, I was a little girl behind a big desk having people bring me lunch. And then I was an old girl behind a little desk hoping to have money for lunch. In the process, of the latter, I joined a «club» on campus and was on the quest for community service hours. My Best-​est BFF got me interested in getting up before 9am to make it to the beach at 9:45am to clean-​up the beach. Truth, I’m not much of a beach go-​er so I didn’t know what shape our beach was in. Um, the beach, the word after «Long» in Long Beach. So while Ms. Squinty McSquinter (me) was out there with fashion plastic glove and trashbag, a couple of other students would show up and check-​in and then stand in the parking lot until it was time to pick-​up the community service hour receipt. Bitter? Hell ya. Because all I could feel was shame for how our beach water-​line was filled with tiny styrofoam pebbles, beads of blue poly plastic, plastic 6-​pack holders, and any other type of plastic tie or broken part you can imagine. And sadness that more people didn’t know how to help, or for these two who would show up and just NOT help.
(And there you were, standing in the parking lot in suede boots, getting away with collecting community service hours, while you flirted with an equally lazy guy from the club. Trust me, When will know that I’m talking about her and the rest of you can just laugh knowing she’s out there.)
Here’s the blurb:
THE 30-​MINUTE BEACH CLEANUP MEETS on the 3^rd Sat. of each month at 9:45 a.m. at 1 S. Granada Ave. (@ Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, 90 803) in Belmont Shore, to help rid the beach of trash and debris. All ages welcome. Free parking, trash bags, gloves, door prizes, volunteer credit forms and refreshments.
Now I’m back:
Once you are in the parking lot, and after the 30 minutes is done, you can take a nice leisurely moment to look out on the sea, and draw names in the sand, and take pictures of them and send them out with your cellphone. Or just feel darn good that you did something to help. Feels good either way. Hugs, E