It's not just a clean sweep but also a full-on community triumph in Jacksonville. The city has proudly announced its first victors in the decidedly down-to-earth Jacksonville Litter League, per a release from the City of Jacksonville. The scrappy Operation G.L.A.D.D. Dads took home the title after a two-month-long slog, picking up no less than 50 bags of trash across their neighborhood.
From July to the end of August, teams competed to not just significantly clean up, but also to bring together their communities under the umbrella of civic pride. "Every bag collected, every block cleaned, makes a difference," Mayor Donna Deegan said in a statement obtained by the City of Jacksonville, embracing the collective effort. It's this sort of mindset that led Operation G.L.A.D.D. Dads to not just remove a prodigious amount of litter but also to thoroughly exemplify what it means to care for one's city.
The clean sweep afforded them more than just local acclaim. Their grand prize included the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a recent Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp game, and they got to enjoy a night in a private suite at VyStar Veterans Memorial Stadium. Can a community champion ask for a better reward for grueling, yet gratifying hours of volunteer clean-up work?
T.P. McClean, the whimsically named mascot for the league, will undoubtedly continue to rally the residents for the upcoming fall campaign. The league has a simple, bold aim: Keep Jax Cute, Don’t Pollute. And it seems ready to slowly but surely turn this rallying cry into a citywide movement. The fall campaign, which promises partnership with the Jacksonville Jaguars and fresh prizes, is apparently geared up to once again motivate contestants to grab a bag and get to work.
A nod is due to every team that joined the league's efforts, proving that when it comes to civic pride, the City of Jacksonville's residents are more than willing to roll up their sleeves and dive in. According to Mayor Donna Deegan, it's that heart and dedication that embodies "Duval pride in action."
