Adopt-A-Spot Program Seen as a Winner For Volunteers, Community

Comedian Zach Galifianakis once pondered, "At what age do you tell a highway it's adopted? I think around 7because that's when they start to think, 'I don't look like the Kiwanis Club.'"

Perhaps this jokey advice may apply to Morristown residents participating in the Adopt-A-Spot program who have adopted–instead of highways–public parks, playgrounds, monuments and traffic islands throughout the town that would otherwise go untended.

Run by Clean Communities Program Coordinator Kathleen O'Neill Margiotta, Adopt-A-Spot is a way for citizens to become more invested in the community by taking a personal stake in its appearance. Volunteers, in the form of individuals, families, businesses and social and religious groups, participate by removing litter, weeding and monitoring the conditions in designated town-owned areas of land seasonally for a period of one year. The program has been in existence since 1999.

"The program is a win-win," said Margiotta. "The town benefits from having extra help in caring for our property, while 'adopters' gain a sense of pride and well-being. Given our current financial constraints, the Adopt-A-Spot program is a great asset to Morristown. Mayor [Timothy] Dougherty and his administration are extremely grateful for all the community volunteers."

Part of the program's success lies in its design. It doesn't require a large time commitment and all supplies and instructions are provided by the Clean Communities Program. Of course, it's Morristown's dedicated citizenry who are truly responsible for making the program work and have demonstrated their civic pride by adopting all of the town's 15 spots. The sites include Morris Frank mini-park, the Budd Street playground, Burnham Park, the World War II monument park on the corner of South and Madison streets, Cauldwell Park on Flagler Street and the Harrison Street Playground, which was adopted by Morristown Patch and cleaned up on .

Jennifer Huber, of the Morristown Neighborhood House, has been parenting her spot at Cauldwell Park for two years. "My kids take a real sense of ownership when they are cleaning the park. It is where they play, hang out and where they live," said Huber. "It is a way for them to contribute to keeping their community clean and a sense of belonging."

Thirteen-year-old Brooke Helstrom, an Adopt-a-Spot volunteer, hopes that the environment will be in good hands when passed on to younger generations. She assembled some fellow Girl Scout troop members a few years ago including Camille Bourland, Simone Ekstroem and Nicole Franco and formed the Green Girls (not affiliated with this group). Together, the group adopted Footes Pond, another spot.

"I was really interested in helping the environment and I wanted to help in the little ways that I could," Brooke said. "We adopted this spot and we've been cleaning it up four times a year."

For Camille Bourland, the Adopt-A-Spot project allows her to "help out the community and spread awareness about trying to keep the environment green."

As Girl Scouts, the Adopt-A-Spot project is allowing the group to earn leadership hours toward their Silver Award. They have also participated in the World Wildlife Fund Species Adoption program, raising money to protect three separate endangered species including the Galapagos Islands' Blue-footed Booby. The girls have just entered eighth grade at Frelinghuysen Middle School.

For more information about the Adopt-A-Spot program, contact Kathleen O'Neill Margiotta, Clean Communities Coordinator, at 973-644-4363.