COAL GROVE — Many teens may choose to sleep in on a Saturday morning, but not members of the Moose Family Center Teen Club.

On Saturday, April 13, about 28 teen volunteers helped pick up trash along the banks of the Ohio River at the Coal Grove boat ramp.

Stacy Patterson, chairperson and club adviser, said the teens filled about 130 bags with litter from the riverbank and parking lot. They also make piles of larger items that wouldn’t fit into bags, like old coolers, tires and driftwood. The project took about two and a half hours.

“The kids picked up all the driftwood and put it in a pile because we knew the people who cut the grass wouldn’t be able to cut the grass,” Patterson said.

Patterson said the teen club, based out of the Ironton Moose Lodge, adopted the Coal Grove boat ramp through the Lawrence Scioto Solid Waste Management District Sponsor-A-Site program to clean at least once a month and has been doing so for several years.

“We try to get these once a month and clean up so the kids do their community service once a month,” Patterson said. “Sometimes we can’t get down there because the river is up.”

Dan Palmer, district coordinator of the LSSWMD, said the teen club has done a good job at taking the boat ramp on.

“If you ever go up there, it’s amazing what accumulates there,” Palmer said. “And they have taken this on. They did a fantastic job. They also join for the countywide cleanup. They do a lot of good things for the community.”

In addition to keeping the community clean, Patterson said the club visits nursing homes and has their own car washes and lemonade stands to raise money for their activities.

“No money is handed to these kids,” Patterson said. “They have to raise all their own money.”

The club will have a car wash at 10 a.m. at the Moose Lodge to raise money to go the Charleston, W.Va., to see the circus.

Patterson also said the teens choose to give back to people in their own community as well. She said one of the teens asked what could be done for a family whose home burned down.

“They voted to give them a $100 Walmart card out of their money that they raised,” Patterson said.

Patterson said the club makes its own decisions and the advisers are only there to guide and answer questions if needed.

“These kids are go-getters,” she said. “I’m just really proud of all of them. They did an awesome job. They all get along really well. They are all there for each other. It’s just a great group.”