VENICE, Fla. — Volunteers like Corky Dalton are staying busy right now.
Hurricane Ian left a lot of work for him and other volunteers with the nonprofit Keep Venice Beautiful.
“That’s why I have the blower today, so we can get some of the debris off the trail,” he said Tuesday, as he helped clear a portion of the Venetian Waterway Park Trail of small limb and sawdust.
Dalton said the volunteer work is important to help get the area tourist-ready again.
“The snowbirds are going to be winging their way south. There’s going to be expectations that they’re going to have the same kind of recreational facilities that they had before,” he said.
The Venetian Waterway Park Trail is looking good, but other City of Venice and Sarasota County parks in the area, like Maxine Barritt Park, still need some work.
“You can see what we have to deal with,” Dalton said as he surveyed Maxine Barritt, which is located just feet from the Gulf and Venice Fishing Pier.
At the park, Ian’s impact is still very visible, which is why Dalton’s volunteer group — Team Keep Venice Beautiful — is putting out an all-call for more volunteers.
According to Dalton, there are jobs for people of all ages and abilities.
Volunteers like Dalton and his friend, Carrie Luber, clean up public parks every Thursday year-round but are extra busy after Hurricane Ian.
“You feel at least that little bit of, ‘Okay, if I can get this little square here taken care of and next week that little square taken care of — it’ll all start turning around,’” Luber said. “People are here because they love where they live, and they want to keep it as nice as they had found it, I’d say.”
Even after Ian, Venice is still beautiful, but Luber and Dalton need help keeping it that way.
To join the volunteer effort, e-mail Venice Area Beautification Inc. at admin@vabi.org to let them know you are interested in joining Team KVB.
Thursday, Oct. 13, volunteers will focus on Maxine Barritt Park from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. if the weather allows.