Service Project and Picnic

July 13, 2024

United Voices for Sex Offense Reform (UV4SOR), an advocacy organization for people charged with violating a federal sex offense law, has taken on a service project, keeping a stretch of Michigan highway litter-free. They invited Michigan Citizens for Justice (MCFJ) to join them on a road clean up day July 13 to be followed by a pot luck picnic.

There will soon be a sign along the side of the road announcing to those who drive by that UV4SOR is keeping the roadside clean. MCFJ thinks the service project is a wonderful idea. We see at least three benefits: it gives our members a chance to improve their community; it lets potential members know about the UV4SOR organization; and it shows the public that people cannot be defined by the worst thing they have done.

MCFJ has a tradition of a summer picnic, and so this invitation fits right in. It even took place on the same day as our regular Ann Arbor support group meeting. Kim, who lives along the stretch of highway being maintained and who is a member of both organizations, kindly offered her house for the picnic. She and her husband provided lemonade and cooked hamburgers and salmon burgers for everyone. Fourteen people participated in the clean-up with a few more joining for the food. It was a warm day, but otherwise the weather was perfect.