During the morning hours of Oct. 29th the Avalon Rotary and Lions clubs, along with several members of the Catalina Chimes Tower Foundation board, joined forces to remove dead vegetation and trash around the Chimes Tower site. In all, 18 volunteers, outfitted with work gloves, eye protection, rakes, shovels and, most importantly, a “let’s get ‘er done” attitude, set out to clean up the site.
During the morning hours of Oct. 29th the Avalon Rotary and Lions clubs, along with several members of the Catalina Chimes Tower Foundation board, joined forces to remove dead vegetation and trash around the Chimes Tower site. In all, 18 volunteers, outfitted with work gloves, eye protection, rakes, shovels and, most importantly, a “let’s get ‘er done” attitude, set out to clean up the site.
According to Rotary and CCTF board member Lourdes Thoricht, “This is the one of the first times the Rotary and Lion’s clubs have joined forces and addressed a community need. It was a huge success and would not have been possible without the support of all, including the local businesses that donated staff and resources.” Among others, Jim Hoffman, of Jordahl Construction, donated the use of a backhoe and operator, the City of Avalon waived payment for the road obstruction permit, Pete Edwards, of Fineline Construction, donated gloves, hand powered equipment, earplugs and a truck to haul trash away, Avalon Environmental Services accepted the truckloads of green waste at no charge, Emundo Vega disposed of the recyclables and debris, Catalina Transportation shuttled volunteers to the site free of charge, and John Mandaro, of SCICo., provided water, knowledge and resources.
Ms. Thoricht also said, “I just want to thank everyone that participated in making the Chimes Tower site start to shine again.”
Ultimately the team was able to fill three large truckloads of dead vegetation and four trash cans of recyclables, broken clay roof tiles and debris in a three-hour timeframe. Catalina Chimes Tower Foundation chairman, Alison Wrigley Rusack, expressed the sincere appreciation of the entire board to Ms. Thoricht for organizing this event, the Lions and Rotary clubs for their joint participation and to all the volunteers and businesses who gave their all to make this happen. According to Ms. Rusack, “This past Saturday is extra exciting in that it is the first physical step in refurbishing this iconic Avalon structure. There’s more to come!”
For those who would also like to help, tax deductible contributions may be sent to the Catalina Chimes Tower Foundation at P.O. Box 677, Avalon, CA 90704 or visit www.CatalinaChimes.org.
For questions and comments please e-mail info@catalinachimes.org.
Catalina Chimes Tower Foundation is a nonprofit public benefit corporation. Our mission is to restore and maintain the Chimes Tower, an Avalon historic landmark on Catalina Island, for the community and future generations to enjoy.
