To the Editor:

Approximately 100 community members of all ages met at the Dover School on Dover’s Green Up Day, Saturday, May 12, to volunteer their time to help clean up our town. Many green bags of trash were collected, and Dover looks better as a result of everyone’s efforts.

A big thank you to all the volunteers who came out on Saturday, as well as to those who picked up green bags early at the town office and collected trash before Green Up Day. We couldn’t keep Dover clean without the help of the Dover road crew, so I thank them for picking up all the green bags, and for all they do throughout the year to keep Dover looking good. West Dover Joe’s prepared a delicious lunch for all the volunteers, and I thank Brett Sewing for making everything so tasty. Thanks go out to The Deerfield Valley News, the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce, and Green Up Vermont for the publicity they gave to the event. Thank you to the Dover School Board and Bill Anton, principal of the Dover School, for use of the school building for this community event. Members of the Dover School Parent Teacher Organization, Michele Cassese, Kit Cleanthes, Lucy Imperatore, Stefanie Nick, and Colette Lynch, deserve special thanks for helping clean up after the event.

The “Trash to Treasure Sculpture” award went to the Girls on the Run group, Kindyl Alfonso, Shaylie Alfonso, Leah Amazon, Kylie Cleanthes, Julia Fillion, Summar Jones, Jillian Mahon, Isabella Nick, Kaitlyn North, Cara North, Cearra O’Hern, Gracie Walters, Challie Vicary, and Abby Weimer, who created a mini-playground from found materials.

The Dover School Garden Club, led by coordinator Lucy Imperatore, had a successful plant sale and raised $146. They sold plants grown by Dover School students as well as plants donated by Linda Anelli, Carrie Dix, Kai Boyd, and Helen Staib. The money will be used toward the purchase of a hoop house and gardening equipment for the school garden.  David Smith from the Dover Transfer Station provided a detailed display about waste reduction and acceptable recyclable materials, and detailed handouts were available. Their help made this a truly green-themed day!

Thank you again to everyone who helped “Green Up” Dover and keep our community clean. My apologies to anyone I may have missed; your help is greatly appreciated.

Kind regards from Dover’s 2012 Green Up coordinator,

Lori O’Hern

Dover