Collecting trash and raising money for a good cause was the goal of the Litter for Literacy event, held on April 26 by the Rotary Club of Twin Valley.

As part of the annual effort, club members along with students from the Twin Valley High School (TVHS) National Honor Society (NHS) helped clean up a 2.6-mile section of roadway on Route 23 from the Twin Valley Fire Department to the Botanery Barn.

Additionally, sponsors were asked to donate funds to support the cleanup, with all monies donated to the Village Library of Morgantown.

Cleaning up a stretch of Route 23 were Ron Moyer, club treasurer, along with NHS members, including TVHS juniors Maddy Vandergoes, Addison Ketterer and Maggie Stoltzfus and senior Amber Krohmer, who said they were not deterred by the rainy weather.

"The Rotary Club asked NHS if we had any volunteers, so we volunteered," said Maddy, noting that she collected unusual items along the roadway, including an assortment of car parts. Addison reported finding a yoga mat.

According to Moyer, the Rotary Club of Twin Valley joined PennDOT's Adopt-a-Highway program in 1998, agreeing to keep the stretch of roadway in Elverson litter free. The fundraising component was added in 2022.

He noted that PennDOT provided the bright orange vests and work gloves for the volunteers and that the agency was slated to collect the garbage bags and other debris gathered during the cleanup.

The NHS students explained that in order to be a part of the organization, members have to be chosen by their teachers.

"You have to have a certain GPA, and you write an essay and it goes to the teachers," said Maggie.

"There are four pillars to NHS - leadership, scholarship, character and service - and you have to write about how you fulfill all of those pillars, how you excel and how you can do that in NHS," added Amber.

The volunteers said that NHS members take part in several community service projects throughout the year. "This probably has the biggest impact; you are actually making a difference," said Maggie.

In addition to those already mentioned, other participants in the Litter for Literacy program included TVHS teacher Jeff Bateman; TVHS principal and Rotarian Bill Clements; and Rotarians, including president Kevin McDermott, vice president Misty Toothman, secretary Dick Oswald and event organizer Bruce Hartshorne.  Other TVHS student volunteers included Abigail Walker, Madelyne Bateman and Meredith Kaiser. Community members also volunteered during the two-hour cleanup.

Donors included Nicole Bechtel, Robert Sparr, Twin Valley Law, Kevin McDermott, Jill Moyer, Trudy Moore, Carol Keffer, Kelly Hersh, Labs Funeral Home, Lynn Cronomiz, Dawn Kimball Rick Oswald and Bruce Hartshorne.

The Rotary Club is still accepting donations for the library. To learn how to donate, visit the "The Rotary Club of Twin Valley" Facebook page.

The Twin Valley Rotary Club is a community service club. In addition to the Litter for Literacy event and the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser, the club sponsors the Student of the Month program at TVHS and awards student scholarships. It also provides financial donations to local nonprofits.

The club meets on the first, third and fifth Wednesdays of the month at 7:30 a.m. at the Windmill Family Restaurant, 2838 Main St., Morgantown. Prospective members are welcome.

To learn more about the club, visit the aforementioned Facebook page or http://www.twinvalleyrotary.org.