District 8 clean up promotes community engagement and friendly competition

Aiming to foster a cleaner, greener, and more beautiful Terrebonne Parish, the Chauvin Bayou Bash and East Houma Trash to Treasure will take place this Saturday, April 6, 2024. Organized by Keep Terrebonne Beautiful and led by Councilwoman Kim Chauvin, the events aim to rally volunteers in a collective effort to clean up litter and debris from roadsides, highways, and waterways in District 8.

Both events are calling for individual volunteers as well as organized team volunteers. The Bayou Bash and Trash to Treasure events feature spirited competition among teams, who vie for cash prizes based on the total weight of trash collected. The top three teams will earn monetary rewards in the amounts of $400, $200 and $100 for first, second and third place. “Gather members of your school or community teams, clubs or bands to take on the clean up challenge and earn money for your organization,” said Councilwoman Chauvin. “An additional team competition and prize will be awarded for the Ultimate Smack Down Video where the teams are challenging each other, and hyping each other up.” The videos will be judged by a panel of judges from outside of the area, and the cash award for the best video is $250.

The Bayou Bash and Clean Up will kick off with registration from 7-9 a.m. at two designated locations: Little Caillou Fire Station and Houma Airbase Park. From there, teams will be assigned to designated areas along Bayou Little Caillou or the East side of Houma for cleanup operations taking place from 9 a.m.- 12 p.m. Following the cleanup, a celebration will be held at the Little Caillou Fire Station beginning at noon.

To ensure fairness and adherence to guidelines, specific rules have been laid out for participants. Each team, club, organization, or band must register beforehand, and all participants must sign waivers. The event organizers will provide garbage bags for trash collection, with full bags securely closed for weighing purposes. Additionally, trailers will be provided for large items, and they will be weighed separately, promoting responsible disposal and safety during the cleanup. Participants cleaning the bayou in boats are required to wear life jackets.

“This is one many ways that we are coming together to transform our community,” Councilwoman Chauvin shared. “Events like this get the community working together, and creating a visible impact. We’re making progress, but it’s going to take all of us stepping up to the plate and taking pride in our community.”

Sign up online to be a part of the movement towards creating a cleaner, greener, and more beautiful community for all!