A group of 10 University of Illinois Springfield students are spending their spring break helping to remove garbage and debris from waterways in Memphis, Tennessee, as part of the Prairie Stars Service Trip.

The students departed UIS on Sunday, March 9, and are volunteering Monday through Thursday before returning to Springfield. They are working at McKellar Lake, a tributary of the Mississippi River, with Living Lands & Waters, a nonprofit environmental organization founded in 1998. The organization is known for its large-scale river cleanup efforts, spending up to nine months each year traveling on a barge to remove debris, promote watershed conservation, plant trees and host educational workshops.

While volunteering, the students are working on a barge to clear debris from the waterways and track the items they collect. They are also learning about environmental conservation and have an opportunity to explore Memphis when not volunteering.

“Spending my spring break giving back to the environment is such a rewarding feeling,” said Allison Stanley, a UIS student participating in the trip. “It’s exciting to be part of a project that makes a real difference in cleaning up our waterways.”

The Prairie Stars Service Trip, organized by the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center, is one of several initiatives at UIS aimed at fostering community engagement and service-learning opportunities for students.