On April 21st, 2018, The Sathya Sai Centre of Toronto-York participated in the North Scarborough community clean up at Milliken Park. Alongside other members of the Walk for Values team, myriad community groups and families from the community; devotees had the valuable opportunity to demonstrate the Sathya Sai Centre’s values into action. The clean-up was rigorous and messy as all volunteers walked around the perimeter of the park collecting debris, litter and any other waste lying on the ground. The park clean-up was a lesson on the importance of keeping our surroundings clean and of showing respect to the environment and Mother Earth. In so doing, it was an opportunity to reflect on the future of the environment and the generations that were going to inherit the earth from us.

The clean-up of littered old coffee cups in the park was a disappointment. The littered cups were not made of recyclable materials and would surely negatively impact our planet. Volunteers reminded themselves and others that it was better for the environment and Mother Earth if all of us made a pledge to use reusable coffee mugs.

The park clean-up was a wonderful opportunity to put the first step of the Walk for Values 2018 theme of Go Green into practice. While it was encouraging to see the impact that two hours of cleaning made, the outcome taken home that day was quite a process of inner transformation. Volunteers were sure to try to lead a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, make mindful choices day to day and inspire others to do so as well. The two-hour collective project also gave devotees of the Sathya Sai Center of York the opportunity to spread the word about Swami’s humanistic values and social message. Projects such as these give devotees a golden opportunity to work with the community and stand shoulder to shoulder with other socially active organizations. The Milliken Park clean up gave the devotees of the Toronto-York Centre to mark Swami’s omniscient presence and the meaningfulness of His teachings that emphasizes Maanav Seva (service to humanity) and the need to be useful to one’s community.