By Caroline Hickey ’23
There has been a recent spark in community service in Beverly due to many collaborations between the youth and smaller businesses. Between the recent DECA projects and various class fundraisers, these partnerships have created a dynamic that has been very beneficial to our community. The DECA project “Beautify Beverly,” run by BHS seniors Linnea Avola and Maddie Frost, is a prime example of youth community-building in our city. They partnered with Organic Garden Cafe, a plant-based restaurant located on Cabot Street, and the Beverly Public Library in order to produce this event. Their intentions regarding this event were not only to generate business, but to simultaneously spread environmental awareness and advocate for a more sustainable and ethical lifestyle. Organic Garden Cafe holds a strong environmental stance and takes all possible measures to promote eco-friendly behavior and sustainability. The creators of “Beautify Beverly” took their environmental stance into consideration and organized a trash cleanup in downtown Beverly. There were around 30 volunteers, myself included, and in total we collected 17 bags of trash! The volunteers received an overwhelming amount of gratitude from the members of our community and most of them got thanked in the street. Linnea and Maddie thought the event had a “great turnout” and multiple individuals reached out to say they noticed a big difference among the streets of downtown Beverly. They also offered a taste test of Organic Garden Cafe’s desserts, and the results showed that healthy eating (like Organic Garden Cafe) does not have to taste bad and “can taste just as good, if not better, than other food options out there.” Events like these are what drives a unified community, and attending it further motivates our youth to continue to be active in the community. During this holiday season, if you feel inspired to do so, get yourself involved with some community service because as the creators of Beautify Beverly said, “it is important to give back to the community you live in and inspire others to do the same.”
