Lake Catholic Cougars help “Keep Mentor Beautiful”

Football players, parents, coaches volunteer around the community to kick off the 2017 Keep Mentor Beautiful campaign

More than 40 Lake Catholic High School football players gave up their Sunday on a gorgeous 70-degree day April 9 to help clean up the Mentor Lagoons of trash and debris that had accumulated during the winter months.

“We went to church this morning as a team and then got on a bus to come here,” varsity Coach Scott O’Donnell said at the clean-up site. “Then we will go back after this and eat dinner together. It’s team bonding. Father John said at Mass, ‘What a great way to kick off Holy Week.’ ”

The Lagoons project was the first event in the 2017 Keep Mentor Beautiful campaign — an offshoot of the national Keep America Beautiful project.

Bonnie “The Litter Lady” Rice, executive director for Keep Mentor Beautiful, said she was impressed with all the football players, their parents and the coaches who came out to help.

“This is our biggest single group we’ve ever had come to the Lagoons to help,” Rice said. “They’re doing a great job. They’re getting into an area where

“This is our biggest single group we’ve ever had come to the Lagoons to help.” — Bonnie “The Litter Lady” Rice

we can’t send the little kids to help. It does keep the beach safer. There could be broken glass, which could be dangerous.”

Rice added that although the clean-up was necessary, that doesn’t necessarily mean there is a huge litter problem at Mentor Lagoons.

“I think most of this stuff is accidental litter, except for cigarette butts,” she said. “Some of it could be from the wind or animals dragging stuff out of the trash.”

Juan-Andres Tousel, a junior outside linebacker/ defensive end, said he enjoyed volunteering his time for the service project.

“I like helping the community out to make it a nicer place,” Tousel said. “My aunt has a boat here, and people don’t want to look at garbage by these nice homes.”

D.J. Griffus, a junior running

back, added, “I like building a bond with my team,” as he attempted to fish out a plastic container from the water.

Junior corner back Sam Severino said he hopes such community service projects will show the public the team’s true character and take away any remaining stigma to the Cougars’ reputation.

In 2016, the football team forfeited their Week 1 game against Toledo St. John as part of a self-imposed penalty for a hazing incident at a summer football camp.

“After last year, we want to come back and show people who we really are,” Sam said. “We got a bad rap. We’re great kids.”

Meanwhile, the team’s coach said he hopes the players take important life lessons from the Mentor Lagoons experience.

“I’d like them to come together as a group and realize we can have a bigger impact on society by doing something as simple as this,” O’Donnell said.

TRACEY READ — THE NEWS-HERALD Members of the Lake Catholic football team volunteer their time April 9 to help kick off this year’s Keep Mentor Beautiful campaign. Players, their coaches and parents helped clean up the Mentor Lagoons of trash and debris.