Did you know that a family, a group, or any organization can adopt a section of a roadway from the county highway district? We can and we did! And Hawkins’ volunteers have been doing just that for the past nine years! We love our city so much and we want to help keep it clean. The Ada County Highway District (ACHD) has a roadside cleanup program called Adopt-A Highway. Through the adoption, we organize company volunteers to get together a minimum of twice per year and set out to pick up trash along our assigned section of roadway. The county highway district will provide us with everything we need, such as safety training, safety vests, trash bags and temporary warning signs to traffic that we are in the area picking up trash. Also, they come out and pick up all the trash bags we have collected and properly dispose of them.
I am no stranger to picking up trash on our roadways. When I lived in Arizona, we did this often for our hiking club. It’s like a scavenger hunt, only you never really know what you will find along the roadway. Hawkins allows volunteers to participate in this community event during normal working hours. It is a way to get outside and enjoy some much-needed fresh air and relaxation. It is a way to get to know a co-worker(s) you may not have known before. It is a way to do something rewarding for your community. And at the end of the day, it is a way to have fun and swap stories with fellow co-workers to see what treasures they came across. The only real treasures I have found are some small change and a five-gallon bucket from the large home improvement stores.
“Part of why we ‘stay together’ at Hawkins is due to the fun events and celebrations we look forward to all year. Seeing is believing, so check out all the recent memorable moments that make Hawkins a great place to work.” We really are “the company that plays together!”
I would encourage everyone to contact your county highway district and get involved in the Adopt-A-Highway Program. Hawkins has strong beliefs in our community, and it doesn’t take much effort to make a positive impact on our beautiful city!
