By Kaylia Ellington, Key Club Jamaica District bulletin editor 

No other organization embodies the iconic saying “Big things popping everywhere we guh” like the Key Club Jamaica District. We dared to begin our back-to-school Key Club quarter with a bang at the annual International Coastal Cleanup, which occurred on each corner of our little land of wood and water, Jamaica.  

The International Coastal Cleanup day takes place on the third Saturday in September every year and is the largest one-day volunteer event in the world. Introduced to Jamaica by the Jamaica Environment Trust, the International Coastal Cleanup has been upheld and organized by its national coordinators, JET and the Tourism Enhancement Fund, since 2008. 

This year’s beach cleanup included 36 more sites than last year, giving our bold district a chance to better service their homes and communities at 168 sites. The Key Club Jamaica District set the pace for this service year: We had a whopping 997 people present across Jamaica, meaning 1,994 hands helped to keep our island clean from Styrofoam, plastic and other items that wash onto or litter our shores.  

We had an unbelievable amount of fun as a district, sharing our passion for service by keeping our beaches clean. The smiles, laughs and joy were seen on our faces and felt in the vibrant voices of our Key Clubbers chanting, “We feel good, we feel soo good!” The energy exuberated by each Key Clubber created a warmth beyond that of the hot sun. We hope to continue the pace we’ve set this year and do even better at next year’s Coastal Cleanup, as we might be ”likkle but wi tallawah.”