Two brothers from Byrnes Mill are being praised for helping to preserve their town’s natural beauty.
Kaiden Wilson, 8, and Kameron Wilson, 5, received a Community Pride Award from the city on Oct. 21 for helping to remove trash from Byrnes Mill City Park.
Mayor Rob Kiczenski presented the award to the boys.
“Acts of kindness like this remind us that making our city a better place starts with each of us, no matter what our age is,” he said. “We’re proud of these young children, our citizens and hope that their actions inspire others and pride in keeping Byrnes Mill clean and beautiful.”
Kevin Wilson, the boys’ father, said the park cleanup was his sons’ idea.
“We went down there for a jog to look at the river (on Oct. 11),” he said.
Kevin Wilson said his two sons were adamant about wanting to go back to the park with a trash bag and clean up the park.
“We drove back down there, and the two of them cleaned everything up as we supervised to make sure they only picked up things they could touch.”
Kaiden and Kameron Wilson said they were both excited and surprised about getting the award.
Kevin Wilson said his sons are still passionate about wanting to keep the park clean.
“When we went down there, they were quite upset to see trash everywhere. So, every time we drive by there now, they’re always looking to see if the park is still clean,” he said. “(The award) means a lot to them.”