SEYMOUR — Seymour Middle School seventh grader Lily Fappiano just got permission from the Seymour Board of Selectpersons to hold the town’s first-ever “Seymour Trash-A-Thon.”
The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 20 to celebrate Earth Day.
Lily is asking volunteers to join her and First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis at the Seymour Community Center, 20 Pine St., to join in the clean-up.
“I had the idea of having a town trash-a-thon clean-up event in honor of Earth Day,” Lily told the Board of Selectpersons during its meeting April 2. “We’ll have volunteers come to the community center and pick up trash around the river. I just really think the environment should be clean.”
Lily said the event is also a great way for students looking to rack up some community service hours for school to partake in.
Drugonis said Lily approached her about holding the trash-a-thon.
“Lily came up with the trash-a-thon and we’d like to make it an annual event,” Drugonis said.
Drugonis is expanding on Lily’s idea and has asked the sports teams at Seymour High School to pitch in as well, to clean up around the school grounds. Drugonis is also seeking local organizations to jump onboard and take part in cleaning up the downtown area, as well as choosing other areas around town to spruce up.
“We’re very proud of Lily in wanting to keep our environment clean, and it’s great that she can spread the message and get the younger generation involved,” Drugonis said.
Lily’s dad, Seymour Deputy Police Chief Michael Fappiano, is proud of his daughter’s passion about keeping the earth clean.
“She’s very passionate about environmentalism and doing what she can to make changes and bringing that to other kids her age,” Fappiano said.
Not only has Lily, 12, participated in previous Earth Day clean-ups around town, she also started a small club when she was in fourth grade to raise awareness about endangered animals. Lily helps take care of the gardens in her family’s backyard, making sure there are pollinating plants among the mix of flowers and vegetables to keep Mother Nature’s creatures happy.
In 2023, Lily was the recipient of the Thomas J. Petruny Memorial Education and Environmental Award, given out annually by the Seymour Board of Education, for her interest and involvement in activities that promote preservation of the environment.
“When I was younger, my grandma bought me a book about endangered animals, and that really started it all for me,” Lily said. “In fourth grade, I started a small club about raising awareness about endangered animals.”
Lily’s grandmother also instilled the importance of recycling plastic in Lily at a young age.
“My grandma is obsessed with collecting plastic bottles, and if we ever even thought about throwing a plastic bottle in the garage, that’d be it, she’d yell at us,” Lily said.
