Blue Cross / Blue Shield join Save the Harbor / Save the Bay for Beautiful Day of Service

On Tuesday, September 25, nearly 100 Blue Cross/Blue Shield employees joined Save the Harbor/Save the Day for a day of service, helping to clean up South Boston’s Carson Beach.  The Blue Crew’s participation in the project contributed to their 16,000 hours spent on 30 service projects across the area. 

Among the many participants were expectant mother Jill Aiello, of Pembroke.  Jill along with Scott McLaughlin of Scituate worked to trim dead branches and bushes that lined the beach.  Both were enthusiastic about the event and were happy to spend the beautiful day outdoors. 

Similarly, Donna Fox of Weymouth, and Paul McNulty of South Boston, also put in a lot of hard work cleaning up the park adjacent to the beach.  As I joined the friends in their efforts, I was shocked by the amount of broken bottles scattered in the grass.  Before the Blue Crew had a chance to help clean things up, it would have been dangerous for anyone to play in the park, because of all the sharp glass pieces.  Luckily, Donna and Paul were there to do their part and make the park a safe environment once again. 

Overall, the Blue Crew and Save the Harbor helped to clean up nearly a mile and a half stretch of beach.  It’s important to keep the beaches clean because they are free for the public to use.  Maintaining their cleanliness ensures that families and individuals will have them available to use for many years to come. 

What made the day even better was the beautiful weather we were treated to.  The sun brightly shone for the entire day, which encouraged people to work even harder.  I have to say it was amazing to see the difference in the beach by the end of the clean up! 

- Nathan 

Nathan Rossi

Communications and Development Intern

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

Sea Glass is Quite the "Spectacle" on Spectacle Island

I have to say, my first trip to Spectacle Island was quite a success.  Although the day started out rainy and cloudy, the sun eventually came out to brighten up everyone’s experience.  After leaving the ship, the Save the Harbor crew and our guests were able to explore one of the Boston harbor’s most exciting islands. 

All of the beaches were full of sea glass and other Treasures of Spectacle Island.  Families from all over the Boston area took the task of finding the most interesting pieces of shell and glass on the beach to create their own mosaic.  Dylan and his mother, Anne Marie, from Quincy were particularly successful in finding a whole bucketful of materials to work with. 

Once all of the treasures had been gathered, kids then used their creativity to shape the perfect design.  Little Gracie and her father made a fortress out of their sea glass. 

More surprisingly, these boys and their father from used their sea glass to form the US constitution.  Talk about your over-achievers! 

Of course, the trip was not all fun and games.  An important part of each activity was also finding trash and picking it up.  Park Ranger Elliot, challenged each and everyone one of us to collect at least five pieces of trash.  You might also find it interesting that there is not one trash bin on Spectacle Island, instead it is the visitors duty to bring all trash with them back off of the island.

Finally, one of the other highlights of the day had to be the hike to the summit of the island.  Once we reached the top, my fellow interns and I were treated to a beautiful view of the Boston skyline.  All in all, I cannot wait until my next trip to Spectacle Island. 

Nathan Rossi 
Communication and Events Intern
Save the Harbor/Save the Bay