More than a dozen members of Friends' Tributary Committee fanned out across three Chicago parks June 13 to collect hundreds of pounds of trash strewn along the river's edge. Three hours and numerous bags of trash later the parks looked great and the river and its wildlife were safer. The Tributary Committee-organized cleanups took place at Ping Tom Park on Chicago's near South Side and at River Park and Clark Park on the North Side.

The event was part of the My Chicago River Day Summer Challenge, and the Tributary Committee's cleanups are sterling examples of how Friends' volunteers can work together, but safely apart, all summer long to create a Litter Free Chicago River. The Summer Challenge combines individual litter cleanups with online educational programming though mid-September. 

"You can really see the difference that you're making when you're doing something like a litter pickup," said Louise Barrett, chair of the Tributary Committee. "I know that I'm leaving this park a little better off than when I showed up. There's trash just about everywhere so getting out on your block, in your alley, or in the park you like go to with your family is a great way to participate in the Summer Challenge."

The Tributary Committee is a group of emerging leaders in the Chicago community coming together to support Friends of the Chicago River and it mission.

Click here to learn more about the upcoming Summer Challenge education programs.

Friends also has a Litter Free Chicago River Toolkit available to safely organize a litter cleanup.