Shaw Airmen give back to the county

Published July 1, 2014
By Airman 1st Class Jonathan Bass
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Drive off Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, in any direction and you'll see Sumter County "Adopt a Highway" signs with the names of units from Shaw that have taken the initiative to care for the roads leading to and from base.

In total, 25 units from Shaw attend to the roads in Sumter County, said Paula Cearley, Sumter County Adopt a Highway coordinator.

"The Adopt a Highway program is important to Sumter County to help control our litter problem," said Cearley. "It is wonderful to see our local military volunteering their time by working hard in our community."

One of the volunteering units is the 20th Operations Support Squadron.

"The OSS got involved because it was a good way to reach out to the community," said Senior Airman Cedrick Earley, 20th OSS air traffic controller. "It shows them that we also care about the area of Sumter since we are stationed here."

The OSS was not the first unit from base to adopt a road here, the 20th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron chose Highway 261 in Wedgefield as their community service in May 2001.

"The OSS had an Adopt-A-Highway program long before I was stationed here," said Earley. "I took over as the POC last year."

A commitment to the program is for two years, said Cearley.

"For two years you agree to pick up litter a minimum of four times a year," said Cearley. "We supply the orange trash bags and safety vests."

"Since I have been the POC, we have done a total of two cleanups," said Earley. "In that time we have collected a total of 2,700 pounds of trash."

The OSS has been heavily involved with the program.

"I try to schedule it on days when there is no flying, so usually we have between 25-50 people," said Earley. "I have even seen our squadron commander out there helping to clean up our road."

Sumter County has more than 2,200 miles of roadway, said Cearley.

With so many roads to clean up, Cearley said volunteers are welcome to sign up.

"We always look forward to future groups at Shaw with an interest in litter control and the Adopt a Highway program," said Cearley.

Cearley said having Airmen on base help out in the community is a visual attribution to the relationship between Shaw and Sumter.

To fill out an application and adopt a section of Sumter County road go to www.palmettopride.org and follow the links to sign up.

The sign-up includes an application and agreement with Sumter County on the regulations for safety when cleaning up local roads.

"It makes me feel great to do this," said Earley. "To actually see the sign when I am driving to Columbia that says that the OSS is responsible for the cleanup and to know other commuters see it as well fills me with pride. I am grateful for the opportunity to do it."