In BisMan - Last July Youths Set Textbook Example For Us All

The 4th of July weekend is a tradition shared by everyone across the United States

A perfect opportunity for all of us to relax and enjoy our families, fun, and fireworks. The real meaning of this holiday of course is Independence, to never forget our freedom, and with that said there are unfortunately so many people who feel even FREER to leave their trash wherever they feel fit. Here in Bismarck, Carley Ramsdell and her friends experienced that firsthand. A beautiful day out on the Missouri River was spoiled by those who displayed their stupidity and selfishness. This story took place back in July and I still think about it to this day.

Drifting out on the water for some relaxation turns into frustration and major disappointment

In a post on the Bismarck People Reporting News Facebook Page back in July, Carley said it perfectly:

"Thank you guys for all the appreciation! We did not like how trashed the area was so we decided to pick up a little ourselves!!

Please pick up our planet

Ethan, Jayden, Cody, Sadie, and I!"

This was in response to the many supportive comments she received after she posted this picture...

Carley Ramsdell Bismarck People Reporting News Facebook

What started out as a day to celebrate time together with her friends became an image of ugly people who just don't care. Carley who is 20 years old told me on the phone this morning "So sad to see even those from my generation showing zero respect to our beautiful river - disappointing, we only have one planet. A little ridiculous to see trash just thrown right and left out on Fox Island. We couldn't enjoy ourselves, so we decided to do something about it" - For the next couple of hours Carley, Ethan Radig, Jayden Marchus, Cody Hulzberg, and Sadie Hetzer filled not one, or two, but ten HUGE bags of trash.

Carley Ramsdell Facebook

Not everyone was out to ruin the 4th of July

When Carley and her friends finally were finally done, she had strangers come up to them acknowledging and thanking everyone involved for their efforts to keep our land beautiful. This wasn't one of those planned "Gee I hope we get noticed by doing this", it was an innocent act of 5 individuals doing what's right in our community, and that is something to recognize and respect. I asked her what she was feeling at the end of the day - "Made my heart happy, I was so extremely proud of my friends" - I can relate one thousand percent to your answer Carley, she is an amazing person with a pure soul and love for her city - if you see her hard at work at Boneshaker Coffe Co make sure you tell her "Thanks!" To me, this is a no-brainer, a textbook example of how we all should take the extra effort to take care of our community - These individuals received a ton of praise for their actions, and they deserved every single one.