Celebrating Two Outstanding Volunteers of the Quarter: Dwight Smith and Phoenix West

Dwight Smith has been a San Diego Country Estates resident for five years. He rides his bike four times a week, 18 miles each time, totaling 72 miles a week. On his way back from his rides, he picks up trash in his neighborhood. He focuses on about a mile-and-a-half radius around his home. As he is riding, he scans the area and decides what is practical for trash pick-up. He will pick up t-shirts and towels in the middle of the road as safely as possible and says it helps with aesthetics and the overall appearance of the Estates.

He brings a few empty grocery shopping bags and balances the shopping bag full of trash on his handlebars. Some of the things he picks up include plastic, cardboard, and bottles, and there are times when he picks up broken auto parts left behind from car wrecks, like headlamps and scraps of metal—anything non-biodegradable. As he picks up trash on his return home, he uses a bungee cord for items such as cardboard and metal. He uses the cord to wrap up the litter and puts the items on the frame of his bike.

Smith adds that people would notice if someone didn't pick up trash in SDCE and hopes to use this exposure to encourage others in the area to pick up trash. He sees a few others in the neighborhood picking up litter and is very thankful for those who step up to make a difference. He suggests that local hikers pick up trash along their walks. It's as easy as bringing a grocery or trash bag and picking up a few pieces along their journey, and it would make a big difference in the community.

 

Smith is retired from the City of San Diego, where he worked for 21 years as a Wastewater Treatment Plan Operator. He grew up in the city, where trash was all over the place. Once he retired and traveled to places such as Bali and Hawaii, he noticed that garbage was out of control. He realized what humankind was doing to the planet and decided that since we only have one planet, it's our responsibility to take care of it and not destroy its beauty. "I am doing my part," says Smith. "At the end of the day, I am trying to make a positive impact on my community."

He loves animals and wants to take care of the ecosystem for animals as well. He has been doing this clean-up for four years now, and sometimes his wife of almost 31 years, Tracey Smith, helps pick up trash while walking one of their three dogs. Dwight says Tracey is on board with the clean-up but is not retired, so she doesn't have as much free time.

Smith is happy to inspire people to help pick up trash once a month, twice a month, or every week to positively impact the community that he is proud to be a part of.

At a young age, Phoenix West is already an inspiration for the community, making a big difference with his cleaning efforts. "My name is Phoenix West. I am almost 8 years old, and I am in 2nd grade at Barnett Elementary," says our second volunteer of the quarter.

Phoenix says he started picking up trash while on a walk with his mom the day after Halloween when he was four years old. "During the pandemic, we started a routine of beginning our day with a walk," says Phoenix's mom, Kelly. The day after Halloween, a lot of trash was left behind from the night before, and it really inspired Phoenix to want to pick up as much as we could." She was so touched that her then toddler wanted to do something so selfless that she decided to make picking up trash the day after Halloween an annual tradition.

Now every year, Phoenix's parents, Kelly and Jaime West, and his brother Carter West, age 4, lead the Boo Crew event together the day after Halloween. Anyone is invited to join in, but you can also participate by picking up trash right in your own neighborhood. Several volunteers join them each year, and they always get a special visit from the local sheriff's department to thank the kids for being leaders in their community.

"If you would like to join us next year, be on the lookout for information in our local Valley News as we get closer to the date," says Kelly.

Our volunteers' efforts bridge generations and show the hearts of those who serve the community. This new year, let's all be inspired to take steps toward a cleaner environment.

Photos by Heather McGhee