What do you do when you see a problem? For Livingston Manor seventh-grader Connor Casey, it was to look for a solution.
In this case, the problem was storage for all the recyclable materials collected by the Interact Club as part of the Trex Recycling program.
The solution? Getting a grant to pay for an outdoor storage shed.
Working with club advisor (and his mom) Jaime Snow, Connor wrote an application — and won a $250 Spark Grant from the Grace Johansen Foundation.
The Spark Grant offers up to $250 directly to teens to support youth-led projects in Sullivan County.
This year is Connor’s first official year with the LMCS Interact Club, but he has been involved since first grade, because of his mom being a member of the Rotary. His fifth grade science class was also involved at the beginning of the plastic collection.
The Interact Club has participated in the Trex Recycling program since 2022 earning four benches so far.
But to earn those benches, a lot of plastic needs to be collected. The first three benches only required 500 pounds of clean plastic. The last bench, as well as the bench the club is working on now, requires 1,000.
“The plastic is everywhere,” Snow said, “in the Trex boxes, outside of my classroom in the hall, and sometimes stored in my garage.”
The storage shed will allow the plastic to be placed in one location until it is ready to be weighed then delivered for recycling at local stores that accept the recycling.
“Doing this project makes me proud to give back to the community and help beautify it for others to enjoy,” Connor said.
The benches earned by the club are now at the 5/6 playground at LMCS, in Roscoe, outside Snow’s classroom and in Livingston Manor, dedicated to veterans, including Gene Froehlich, who has assisted his granddaughters with the plastic collection.
“It is important to give back to the community because it can help others in need, make connections to others and build meaningful relationships,” Connor said. “Sometimes our actions can inspire others to give back as well.”