Cherokee Park Cleanup: Louisville, KY
Cherokee Park Cleanup
On Saturday, June 21, 2025, volunteers from the Sri Sathya Sai Center of Louisville, Kentucky, held a successful cleanup service project in the Big Rock area of Louisville's Cherokee Park. A team of seven adults and three SSE students worked together, using rubber gloves and plastic garbage bags to clear trash from the creek, fields, pavilion, parking lot, and nearby roads. The team divided into pairs and efficiently covered a large area in less than two hours on the sunny, warm morning.
They collected various discarded items, including bottle caps, plastic bottles, fireworks, and food packaging. Several passers-by thanked the volunteers for their efforts in cleaning up the park. Once all the trash was bagged, the volunteers placed the bags in the park's trash bins for regular collection, leaving the popular Big Rock area significantly cleaner for the community.
A volunteer offered the following reflection:
"Walking into the park, I was disappointed. It simply didn't look well-cleaned. Bottle caps were scattered everywhere—in the grass, on the paths, even right next to the benches. It's easy to dismiss bottle caps, but they're incredibly bad for the environment; the plastic lasts for years and poses a real threat to animals who might ingest them.
Before arriving, I had pictured a much cleaner park after the community cleanup. Seeing the reality made me realize just how much work remains. Still, the best part was seeing our group pitch in together, working hard to clean as much as we could, even with the immense amount of trash.
Doing this service every year truly shifts your outlook. You begin to notice the little things, like the shocking amount of plastic people throw away without a second thought. It motivates you to be more careful about your own habits. I've also noticed our group becoming more mindful, not only picking up trash but also having encouraging other park-goers about keeping the area clean. Swami’s quote, 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness,' suggests that we must look after every space we use, treating our shared environments with the same respect as our homes.
After today, I feel like even small things matter, like picking up one bottle cap. If we all do it, it really adds up.”
Another volunteer offered these thoughts:
“Being close to nature and helping clean the environment is uplifting. Our Sai Center team, including SSE students, enthusiastically cleaned the park, splitting into smaller teams. While the area seemed clean at first, we found litter near the creek, trees, and roadsides, quickly filling our bags. This act reflected me of the personal growth arising from discarding ego like trash, and inspired a sense of accomplishment among everyone. Park-goers expressed their gratitude, and each service project renews my motivation to serve the community.”