The True Gentlemen

Over the summer, College of Charleston’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon philanthropy chair, Ryan Kane, reached out to Charleston Waterkeeper asking us to be their local charity for the coming 2010-2011 year. What could we say but “Heck, Yeah!”

The SAE website spouts prose about the national “True Gentleman Initiative” and while this may just be lip service for some, I can sincerely say that the more than 30 brothers of CofC’s SAE Chapter are indeed true gentlemen. Throughout the past months we communicated about potential benefit events, community outreach, and service projects, and with an eagerness to stay active and be supportive of our mission, Ryan and the brothers maintained a steadfast focus on the work that needed to be done.

On Sunday, November 6th, we met the brothers on the docks of Charleston Marina to board the Charleston Explorer.  (Charleston Explorer generously donated their Sunday to shuttle us to and from Morris Island for this clean up.)  Armed with man power, enthusiasm, and dedication to our waterways, we bundled up and set off for Morris Island.  Hitting land just before low tide the group split and scoured the island from shore to dunes.

After several hours sweeping the island we collected more than 10 bags of trash and several armfuls of washed up foam and other large debris. The brothers seemed happy with the success of the trip and several came to us with ideas for future sweeps and projects.

We are honored to work with the men of SAE and appreciate their support and hard work!  Their time spent working to protect our right to clean water is priceless.  For that, we commend each and every one of them and are greatly appreciative.

A special thanks to Charleston Explorer for making the Morris Island trip possible; they are constant champions of our local waterways and we are grateful for their dedicated efforts!

By: Natalie Taylor, Volunteer Coordinator