By ABBEY KUNKLE
Special to the PRESS
February 19, 2015
The Keep SPI Beautiful (KSPIB) committee recently made efforts to seek out like minded groups for collaboration on events or projects to benefit the community. At last Thursday’s regular meeting, the committee was joined by local group Respeta tu Playa whose mission is to conduct beach cleanups and educate the public on the importance of keeping local beaches litter-free.
The group was the first of many to join efforts with KSPIB in talks of potential collaborations in the future. The Respeta Group was founded about four years ago by Yolanda and Walter Birdwell along with Madeline Sandafer. It is a small group of about 15 people representing five different nations. Many of its members did not grow up in the area but have made a commitment to educate the population specifically to help marine life by keeping beaches litter free. The group has partnered with others for many events, most recently the beach cleanup on Jan. 17 that drew over 160 participants who cleaned approximately 4.5 miles of beach on the north end of the Island. Sandafer shared one of her philosophies saying, “If people see something that they can be proud of, that inspires them to do better.” Yolanda Birdwell added that when educating the public, it always helps to do it with a smile.
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