Muskogee Boy Hosts Community Cleanup For His 9th Birthday

A Muskogee boy decided to spend his birthday in a unique way, with a city-wide trash cleanup.

When Cullen Kay’s mom asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday, without hesitating, he said he wanted to spend a day with his friends picking up trash.

"Why I came up with the idea is because everybody leaves trash around the city and there's so much trash," said Cullen.

His mother and grandmother reached out to the city and that’s where “Cullen’s Community Cleanup Day” began.

But his mom says keeping the community clean isn’t something new to Cullen.

"He cares about others and he loves Muskogee and wants to keep it nice,” said Anne Kay, his mother. “And he sees trash out in our neighborhood even, even when he was two or three years old, we'd be cleaning up, even just doing that in our own street."

Family members from as far as Australia have also picked up trash in honor of Cullen.

Anne says she is honored to see all the people willing to help out.

"It's so neat to see how many people want to help do something for their own community all because my 8-year-old decided he didn't want anything super special,” said Anne.

Jordyn Jorgenson, the Director of Tourism for the Muskogee Tourism Authority, says everyone can learn something from Cullen’s drive.

"I'm hopeful that seeing this initiative through Cullen, that people will be more mindful,” said Jorgenson. “Hold on to your trash, keep it in your car until you get somewhere or if you are on a trail and see something that is safe to pick up, definitely pick that up."

Cullen says he hopes others will join him in taking care of the planet, even after his birthday.

"We only have one earth, we only have one, and if it ends, we don't have anything," said Cullen.