Sheriff’s Office cleans up litter to raise money for Relay for Life
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, April 12, 2016
By Amanda Raymond
amanda.raymond@salisburypost.com
The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office is fighting cancer by cleaning up litter as part of its Relay for Life campaign this year.
Off-duty sheriff’s deputies will volunteer their time to clean up litter on the roadsides of Salisbury and Rowan County on 15 different occasions.
The office’s Relay for Life team will donate the funds to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life Campaign.
The team is asking for sponsorship donations of $30 from individuals and local businesses. On top of that, sponsors can choose a number of garbage bags of litter and pledge to donate $3 for each one.
The names of the sponsors will be displayed on a banner and recognized by the Relay for Life Team on the night of the Relay for Life event on May 7.
Donation forms can be found on the Sheriff’s Office’s website.
According to Captain T.L. Wyrick, deputies have already completed eight cleanups, including cleanups on Newsome Road, Union Church Road, Hart Road and St. Paul’s Church Road.
Wyrick said the office often receives complaints about all of the litter in the roads, so they thought cleaning up some of the litter would set a good example.
“We want to do something outside of law enforcement to try and raise money, but we want to support the county as well,” he said.
Deputies have collected more than 3,320 pounds of litter, building materials and tires, Wyrick said.
The next cleanup event will be on Saturday, during which school resource officers will collect litter on roadways near and around as many schools as possible.
The cleanups will continue until April 29, but Wyrick said they will continue the cleanups until all 15 events are completed.
“No one complains more about roadside litter more than myself,” Wyrick said in an email. “…We are proud to live and serve in Rowan County. We owe it to our children to make sure that they grow up in a safe and clean environment.”
The Sheriff’s Office will also be selling hotdogs on April 19 at Walmart and on April 28 in the Rowan County Courthouse parking lot to raise funds.
Contact reporter Amanda Raymond at 704-797-4222.
