Malverne Cub Scouts Pack 24 to hold cleanup at Tanglewood Preserve

Malverne Cub Scouts Pack 24 is set to take part in a cleanup at Tanglewood Preserve in Rockville Centre on April 13, at 9:30 a.m. The event will be held as a conversation day for the scouts to raise awareness on the importance of keeping your community and parks clean.

“We’re going to be teaching kids the importance of preserving nature and respecting the land to make sure that they understand why we’re doing this,” said Zeeshan Humayun, Pack 24’s chairman. “We just want to drive home the importance of that while giving them an opportunity for community service.”

Adult leaders and parents will be there as well to assist the scouts during the cleanup, which members range from kindergarten through sixth grade. Participants will receive a certificate to recognize their efforts of community service and to advance in the scout ranks. Scout leaders will discuss the significance of the event, and then members of the preserve will lead the way for the cleanup.

“It’s going to be nice for the kids to see that everybody is doing this as a group,” Humayun said. “This is especially important with younger kids, because they learn from older people such as parents, older siblings and other mentors in their life. They realize that it’s not just an activity that they’re responsible for, but we’re all responsible — from childhood to adulthood — to take on the same responsibility of respecting our land, our nature and keeping it clean.”

Humayun added that maintaining a clean environment should be an ongoing message throughout the year, and that is important for parents to take the lead by setting an example for the younger scouts.

As for future events, Pack 24 will have an open house on April 27 at Our Lady of Lourdes School hall in Malverne, from 1 to 3 p.m. They will also take part in a hike at Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve in Merrick on May 18.