Melissa Regennitter of the Muscatine Journal

MUSCATINE, Iowa — A 9-year-old Muscatine girl has a message about — and the drive to clean up — litter in town.

“I want people to know that littering is not the thing to do,” said Kennedy Williams, a fourth-grader who planned a litter cleanup event at the Muscatine Riverfront Saturday morning.

Kennedy Williams, her mother Debby Williams, and eight other volunteers filled about 10 garbage bags with trash this past weekend. The group picked up litter from the Riverfront playground and grassy area near it.

“She’s been recycling cans and bottles and she came to me a few weeks ago and said she wanted to do something for the town,” Debby Williams said.

So, Kennedy Williams hung up fliers asking people to meet her at 9 a.m. on the Riverfront to pick up trash.

“Not many people showed up because it was super cold,” Kennedy Williams said. “But the people who said they were going to be there did come.”

Kennedy Williams said she got the idea from seeing so much trash around town.

“Candy wrappers, pop cans and a lot of cigarette butts, mostly,” she added.

Both of her parents were surprised and supportive that she has such a drive to make a difference in the community.

“I am proud of her,” said her father, Jason Williams.

Kennedy Williams plans to hold a Riverfront cleanup again at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 26. This time she hopes more people will show up and they can cover more ground — and she’ll bring the trash bags.

— Melissa Regennitter

of the Muscatine Journal