Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Monday of last week I had the pleasure of working with approximately 50 teenagers from the Verge Youth Ministries, which is associated with the Lighthouse Worship Center in Hayes, on a litter cleanup of the Crab Thicket, Indian Road, Route 14 triangle, as well as portions of T.C. Walker Road and Short Lane.

Over a four-hour period, they collected 90 bags of roadside litter (about 2,650 pounds). For a short while, these parts of Virginia will look the way all of Virginia should look. Bill Bell of the Gloucester Clean Community office reports that volunteers from the Verge Youth Church and Lighthouse Worship Center have collected approximately 6,800 pounds of trash during the past year.

As important as are the thanks we owe them, I believe none of the individuals involved in this or any other roadside cleanup will litter in the future. To help educate our youth (and adults) about the disrespect littering does to our Commonwealth, I urge Gloucester County ...