Hi-Tec Clean Up Coalition Teams Up for the Tuolumne River

In celebration of today's National Day of Service, the Hi-Tec Clean Up Coalition partnered with the Tuolumne River Trust for the 2nd annual Teaming Up for the Tuolumne River & Shore Clean-Up event. Together with the hard work of nearly 250 neighbors, community leaders, school students and local businesses, we cleaned up hundreds of pounds of trash found in the river and along the shoreline of Legion Park. We witnessed first-hand that the Central Valley’s hard work and community spirit are clearly thriving.

Efforts were not only at Legion Park but also under 9th Street Bridge — thanks to the incredible partners of South Modesto Business United. This group of 16 volunteers tore into the overgrowth under the bridge with a bulldozer to clear homeless encampments and easy access to the river.

The day of activities began with an inspiring rally for the Tuolumne River. After a brief welcome, two local spoken word poets performed a hip-hop “Tuolumne Rap,” giving life to the love of the river. This led to the unveiling of the “Heal La Raza” mural created by local artist, Emilio, who had the help of some families in the area. The mural expressed their passion for their neighborhood and the river at their back door.

After four productive hours of clean-up, volunteers gathered for a little refreshment, fun and tunes on the turntable by DJ Vikda. As everyone enjoyed the exhibits of local businesses, winners of the raffle were hand picked by Modesto City Council member Joe Muratore. Our deepest gratitude goes out to the local companies who donated generous prizes for the raffle in benefit of Tuolumne River Trust!

Modesto Irrigation District's mascot, Splasher, joined us in thanking volunteers for their help. He took photos with families, danced to the beats and spent a little time showing kids how to fish with the help of the Bass Brigade crew.

Join us in a round applause for all of the volunteers, local businesses and neighbors who participated in making their mark on the community. Volunteers do not get paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless!

To check out all of our photos from the event, visit our Facebook page.