TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – If you drive along Dorr Street in Toledo between the I-475 interchange and Holland Sylvania, you may have noticed a couple that is always out and about picking up trash. They’re out there most weekday mornings and it’s truly a labor of love.
Aaron Bivins and his wife Ronnie are out picking up what others have tossed out.
“Every day we’re armed with garbage bags a few big ones and some smaller ones and we’re picking up trash,” Aaron Bivins said.
It all started nearly twenty years ago while they were walking their dog. They noticed all kinds of things littering their route and decided to do something about it.
“It’s our community and close to our neighborhood, and we like to have it nice when we walk,” Aaron Bivins said. “It’s easy to do. We’re walking with bags and a pick-up stick. Ronnie handles the bags, we drop trash in and we keep marching.”
The couple says their workload has increased in recent years.
“When they expanded Dorr Street and added the interchange, we noticed there was even more trash, so we started walking further. The further we went, the more trash we saw,” Aaron Bivins said.
It’s a lot of work, but it’s been a true labor of love for the two. And while the special Bivins trash brigade doesn’t get paid for the work, there’s a huge return on investment for all of us.
“I believe people feel better when they don’t have to look at trash,” Ronnie Bivins said.
The couple is usually out on their route for about an hour and a half. But some days the trash really seems to pile up.
“If it’s really bad out here with the trash, we’re out for two hours or more. We joke and say wouldn’t it be nice to come out the following day and all our bags are empty? It hasn’t happened yet, and we’ve been doing this a long time,” Aaron Bivins said.
Their work doesn’t go unnoticed. The two have a bit of a fan club.
“We know some of the people and don’t know others, but they all see us all the time so they wave, they honk their horns,” said Ronnie Bivins. “Some say ‘God bless you.’ It motivates us because some days it’s hard to come out.”
Aaron also has a fan club for his work at the easel.
“I was an art education major in college. I’ve been painting for a long time. Water colors, acrylic, oil. I’ve painted a lot of subjects. I go to the summer art fairs, and I’ve taught classes for adults. I also do commissions,” Aaron Bivins said.
Aaron and his wife are also helping paint a better picture for Toledo. The two hope their efforts inspire others to clean up their own corner of the world.
“We’re hoping we help plant that seed. That seed will then grow and people will take pride in their community and pick up the trash and not throw it down,” Ronnie Bivins said.
Aaron and Ronnie say they log a couple miles each day that they’re out on their route. They have a new puppy, but he isn’t old enough to join them on their long walks just yet.
You may notice the two are usually decked out in University of Toledo gear. They both went to UT and Aaron was a star defensive player on the football team. He received a long list of honors for his work on the gridiron.
Among other things, he was named the MAC defensive player of the year in 1976 and captain of the team in 1977. Aaron is the all-time leading tackler for the university and was named to the UT all-century team.
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This article was published by WTVG on 2024-11-27 23:25:00
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