Lander Athletics Gives Back With Litter Pickup Around Greenwood

GREENWOOD — Throughout the 2024-25 athletic year, Lander Athletics has partnered with the local organization "Trash Time with Tara" to give back to the Greenwood community by picking up litter around the city.

Over two cleanup dates—one in the fall on Sept. 7 and one in the spring on March 29—more than 700 Lander student-athletes volunteered their time to pick up trash at 16 different locations within a five-mile radius of campus.

"We appreciate the partnership with Lander Athletics and your support in the community. I believe we had around 743 combined student-athletes participate over the two pickups," said Tara Smith, the leader of the organization and wife of Greenwood Mayor Brandon Smith.

Across both cleanup days, volunteers collected 273 bags of trash along with larger discarded items such as hubcaps, shopping carts, clothing, and even a sawhorse.

"The duration of each pickup was only one hour, for a total of two hours. Therefore, 273 bags in two hours is a large impact," Smith said.

"I would like to express my sincere appreciation to our dedicated staff, coaches, and student-athletes who generously devoted their time this weekend to support a cause that truly makes a difference in the Greenwood community," said Jamie Wilson, associate athletic director for student-athlete success, who helped plan the cleanup days alongside Smith. "Their commitment to coming together for such a meaningful initiative not only reflects their sense of responsibility but also demonstrates the positive impact they can have when working collaboratively for the greater good. This collective effort speaks volumes about the values we uphold, and we are proud of the exemplary leadership and teamwork displayed by all involved."

"I am extremely thankful for the student-athletes and coaches who are freely willing to give their time to give back to the Greenwood community that supports them," said Athletics Director Brian Reese. "Thank you to Tara for providing us with this opportunity and Jamie (Wilson) for making sure these two days went as smoothly as possible."

Members of the Greenwood community who want to get involved with Tara's organization, which holds community cleanup days throughout the year, can follow the Facebook page here.

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