CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Volunteers from Cannon, as well as members of the local community, gathered at the Parks and Recreation Center for the annual Great American Cleanup before the sun finished rising Saturday.
Teams were formed, t-shirts and doughnuts were shared between friends and colleagues, and the men and women who have given back to their town set off to "Keep New Mexico True;" a statement coined in the effort to rid the town of trash.
"Thank you for taking pride in your community, for stepping up and volunteering today, and for keeping New Mexico beautiful," said Claire Burroughes, community development liaison for the city of Clovis.
Back as reigning champions from last year’s event, the 551st Special Operations Squadron hoped to exceed their previous efforts.
"We are here to win again," said a joking Lt. Col. Lance Rosa-Miranda, 551st SOS commander. "In all seriousness, this is a great opportunity to come out as a squadron and support our local community.”
“Being a part of Clovis’ Great American Clean-Up is a special opportunity,” Rosa-Miranda continued. “It gives us the chance to be active members of our local community and a way for us to say ‘thank you’ for the support Clovis continues to provide Cannon Air Force Base. It is a small contribution, but one none the less.”
Rosa-Miranda’s team consisted of 25 Air Commandos from the 551st SOS who were set on obliterating last year’s record of collecting close to 24 tons of trash.
Once hands were washed and pizza was served, the volunteers of the 2015 Great American cleanup buzzed with anticipation as this year’s winner was announced.
With an impressive accumulation of 147 bags of trash collected, the Curry County team took the crown, with the Air Commandos of the 551st SOS trailing at a close second with 99 bags.
The total amount of debris taken to the Clovis Regional Landfill on Saturday was just over 106 tons; more than 283 tons over the entire weekend. More than 654 bags of trash were collected by more than 24 teams during the event.
"Even though we fell short of our goal, we still won," said Rosa-Miranda. "At the end of the day, we volunteered as a squadron, gave back to our community and Clovis is now a cleaner place for everyone. It was a great day for the city of Clovis."