On Saturday, April 26, approximately 50 Newport News shipbuilders, friends, family and Christopher Newport University students volunteered for an NNS Earth Day Trash Pick Up.

While the event was a way to celebrate Earth Day, there was also a trophy on the line. Jason Sutton, vice president and chief information officer, and Xavier Beale, vice president of Human Resources, challenged each other in a head-to-head competition to see whose division could collect the most trash during the event. Shipbuilders who volunteered from other divisions participated by picking a side to support.

Sutton’s team won in the end, but the real winners were the neighbors who live in the areas surrounding the shipyard. The two groups collected 73 bags of trash removed from the streets and parking lots.

“Work like we do here at NNS can be consuming, making precious the little room within our schedules to give to others,” Sutton said. “But the individuals who participate in our communities and serve others, they carve out that time and give so that they can amplify hope. The trash pickup is unique because it allows us to blend our professional and community care. There is something satisfying about not ignoring something that was casually and improperly discarded, and instead fixing that little part of our planet in a tangible way. Fifty people all devoted to showing care, doing just a little part and not walking by the trash, but taking precious time to instead clean it up…that is deeply rewarding.”