On a Saturday morning where many would have rather been sleeping in, diligent and proud members of Cochrane’s Filipino community worked together to help clean one of Alberta’s highways, as part of a province-wide campaign.
At 7 a.m., or even earlier for many, the Filipino Canadian Association of Cochrane Alberta (FCACA), along with other members of the community gathered at the Cochrane Ranche Historic Site on May 6 for their third annual Alberta Highway Clean-up.
A young member of Cochrane’s Filipino Community and part of the clean-up, Duffni Bhriann Bautista, said the initiative helps bring the community together for a common goal.
“This is for us Filipinos and others to get together and clean up our environment in Cochrane,” Bautista said. “I think it’s really awesome that we do that, and yeah, it’s really early and I’m very tired.”
This year’s local clean-up hosted 45 participants, who donned hi-vis vests and cleaning equipment as they helped pick up roadside garbage along Highway 1A between Cochrane and Morley.
Secretary for the FCACA, Mila Prout, said in addition to helping clean up and beautify the thoroughfar, the annual highway clean-up serves as a major fundraising event for the FCACA.
“It started when I became part of the organization and we were looking to fundraise, and I said – well, I know of something, a highway cleanup!” Prout said. “You get paid $100 per kilometre, so we started with 13 kilometres. Last year we did 19 kilometres, and this year we are doing 19 [kilometres].”
As a retired nurse, Prout said she likes to give back to the Filipino community and Cochrane. She hopes initiatives like Saturday's highway clean-up inspire more Filipino people and youth in the community to get involved, and hopefully help in next year’s initiative.
“I’m very proud of our organization and I’m proud of them – and thank goodness for the nice weather!” Prout said.
President of the Cochrane Immigrant Services Committee and part of the Highway Clean-up team, Kristina Kindree, said both organizations partnered up for this initiative.
“We partnered with the Filipino community, [and] we have a very strong relationship together,” Kindree said. “They do this highway cleanup once a year, and basically we are helping them out this year as well.”
Kindree said it is a fantastic thing to see the community come together and help give back in a meaningful way that impacts everyone in Cochrane and the surrounding area.
“Especially in a small town in Cochrane,” Kindree said. “It is small enough that you can still feel the sense of community, and you can see some of the youth out here, even though it is so early, but they actually do get up and come out and help.
“I think it is a great lesson for them, and I think it’s a very good experience for us to come out here together to help out our community and environment.”
