More than 40 New Iberia Senior High students helped maximize the ability of more than 80 senior citizens to recycle Thursday, installing sets of wheels on some recycling bins for the first time and reinstalling them on others.

Joy Voorhies, who came to get a bin wheeled for herself and for her 87-year-old mother, said recycling benefits everyone.

“There is just so much waste today,” Voorhies said. “I feel we have to do something ... and it’s not really a burden of any kind.”

(Use arrows above to view more photos) Advertisement

Voorhies said in addition to making it “much easier” for her mother to recycle, putting wheels on the bins gives students an opportunity to help the community.

NISH senior Kenneth Paschal said he has participated in the event three times before, and he enjoys it because he is helping someone.

Student Steve Duhon, 16, who also volunteers with the Jeanerette Fire Department, helped out for the first time.

“I volunteer all the time,” he said.

Local resident Cecil Broussard said this is his “second go-round” for getting wheels, and it “absolutely” helps. He said he has been recycling since it came to New Iberia and has used the wheels for the last three years, since he “got old.”

The bi-annual event, sponsored dually by New Iberia recycling coordinator Geri Frederick and the Iberia Parish Government, with the work, of course, done by students at NISH, has been occurring for the past few years. This one, said Frederick, was in honor of America Recycle Day, which is Saturday.

Iberia Parish President Ernest Freyou, who came out to show his support and said he has been a recycler “from the beginning,” called the parish’s support of the event “a no-brainer.”

“It’s good for everybody,” Freyou said.

He also said the fact students are willing to help out gives him a “good feeling all is not lost with the young folks.”

Charles Williams, the industrial arts teacher at NISH who helps organize the event, said he likes “to see the students involved in something to help the community.”

“We feed them donuts, so that helps,” Williams added.

Karl Moses, a junior, said it’s his first time participating.

“It’s pretty fun,” he said. “They say ‘thank you’ and we say ‘thank you’ back.”

Westgate High School shadow student Brandee Moss contributed to this story.