WAIANAE, Hawaii -- More than a dozen Soldiers assigned to A Company, 715th Military Intelligence (MI) Battalion, 500th Military Intelligence Brigade-Theater conducted a quarterly Adopt-A-Highway clean-up along Farrington Highway near Ulehawa Beach Park in Waianae, Hawaii on May 12, 2018.
Adopt-A-Highway is a public service program through the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation (DOT) for volunteers to pick up liter along Hawaii's highways.
"We started quarterly cleanups since February 2016, and there has been a noticeable difference in the community here," said Capt. Stephen Fifer, commander, A Company, 715th MI Battalion. "In the beginning, there was so much trash everywhere that we were only able to clean one side of the road with all our bags filled quickly. Now, we are able to maintain the entire roadway."
Prior to joining the Adopt-A-Highway program in the Ulehawa Beach Park area, there were large amounts of trash littered alongside the sidewalks and open lots.
From the time that Alpha Company took charge of cleanups along the roadway, they have removed a total of 150 bags of trash and rubble.
"That alone has made waves of impacts in the surrounding community," Fifer added.
The Hawaii DOT provides the volunteers with safety vest and trash bags. The Soldiers area of operation covered approximately five miles along the roadway, from start to finish.
"The work we do is pretty awesome," said Staff Sgt. Megan Kinnison, A Company, 715th MI Battalion. "The locals really appreciate the work we do, and there has been a noticeable difference in increasing unit morale."
"Soldiers are able to utilize their time towards making an impact in the local community," Kinnison added.
As part of the Adopt-A-Highway initiative, the Soldiers go out to the Ulehawa Beach Park community quarterly to ensure that the streets are clean and cleared of any rubbish.
"I'm really proud of everyone who was able to come help out," said Fifer. "It's not only creating a positive effect on our environment, but it's also demonstrating to those in the community that Soldiers go above and beyond for our country."
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