Braden Winterman is just like any other sophomore in high school: he makes good grades, he’s part of the Neville High School Jazz Band, he’s the leader of the Low Brass Section on the marching band, helps with the school newspaper, active in the church band, he created a Dungeons & Dragons club at school, and he has set up his own 501(c)3 non-profit organization. You read that correctly: a high school student set up a non-profit in Monroe, and it’s called TEAM Monroe.
While traveling in Vermont, Braden says he became curious as to why there was absolutely zero trash along the roadsides. He began researching concepts like litter production and pollution and felt the need to do something at home. And from is research, his idea was borne: TEAM Monroe. TEAM Monroe, which stands for “Today Environmental Awareness Matters in Monroe” is an organization Braden created when he was in the eighth grade at Neville Junior High School. His student council that year took part in the first clean-up. The idea of the organization is to get youth involved in cleaning up their community. He says the youth are important. “They can help and hurt the environment. Youth harm the environment by not helping.” The biggest advice Braden has for other young people in our area is “Get involved with your community. Advocate for the environment. Clean up, and if you can’t help cleanup, then support clean-up efforts by getting your school and teachers involved and sharing information on social media.”
In just two years, Braden and his TEAM Monroe squad have collected an estimated 4,000 pounds of trash from all corners of the City of Monroe. He as worked closely with the City of Monroe’s Public Works Department to get TEAM Monroe’s trash collection sites picked up in a timely manner. He also attributes his organization’s success to the help of Sir Speedy in Monroe and Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis who has been an integral part of growing TEAM Monroe.
For more information on TEAM Monroe, you can check out their Facebook page by searching for TEAM Monroe. Stay tuned in to our Macaroni KID Events Page for other clean up days and other community service-oriented projects in our area.
