CARROLL - McKenzie Cass and Jacob Caldwell know a worthwhile project when they see one.
And the soon-to-be Frewsburg High School seniors are hoping to get the word out: A little bit of help can go a long way.
Cass and Caldwell have teamed up to help a new family in the town of Carroll clean their yard, currently a jumbled mess of old tires, plastic and junk.
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McKenzie Cass and Jacob Caldwell are hoping to get some volunteers to help cleanup old tires and debris from the Miller Farm in the town of Carroll. The soon-to-be Frewsburg High School seniors have received the support of the town officials and backing county legislators.
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Since first embarking on the idea, the seniors have received the approval - and support - from town officials there to clean the Miller Farm.
"It's just a matter of something to do in the community," Caldwell told The Post-Journal. "This is a way us high school students can do it and make a difference. We look around and have a hard time actually seeing what we can do."
For Cass, the project - still in its infancy while volunteers are sought - is about giving back to a community and starting a new trend.
"We want to get involved in our community," she said. "We want peers younger than us to get involved. We want to set a precedent."
During a recent meeting of the County Legislature's Public Facilities Committee, further support was gathered. Although how the county will help out remains unclear at this time, legislators are glad to see the teenagers step forward.
"To have young people step forward and look at their community is very impressive," said Vince Horrigan, R-Bemus Point. "As a former member of the American Red Cross, a tremendous agency, too see that volunteerism in our young people is very encouraging."
"It's great to see younger people get involved," added Minority Leader Larry Barmore. "There is a mess over there. I went down there after they came to the meeting and viewed it myself. It's not as big as they said, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done."
Barmore said the county is limited in what it can do to help out the seniors, or any group looking for assistance, when it comes to private property. Costs associated with the cleanup include means to haul the trash and tipping fees at the County Landfill.
So it will most likely come down to private donations, volunteers and community support.
"I told them as soon as they got all the trash together and tires in one spot I would help them find ways to get rid of it," Barmore said. "I'm sure we will be able to get something done."
Cass and Caldwell say they aren't doing the cleanup for publicity or notoriety - they are simply hoping to spread the word and start similar projects around the county.
"The truth of the matter is we're just a bunch of teenagers that want to help our community," Cass said. "We're not doing this so we can say we did something. This is something we want to start."