Turning trash into treasure is the name of the game.

On Saturday, April 25, at 9 a.m., the Twin Valley Rotary Club and Twin Valley High School's (TVHS) National Honor Society (NHS) chapter will host their annual Litter to Literacy event.

The day will feature members of both the Rotary Club and NHS cleaning up a 2.6-mile stretch of Route 23 from the Twin Valley Fire Department to the Botanery Barn restaurant in Elverson.

The Rotary Club is seeking sponsors for the event to support the cleanup; proceeds will go toward the Village Library of Morgantown. Those interested can send checks made out to the "Rotary Club of Twin Valley" to 2939 Conestoga Creek Road, Morgantown.

"As a whole, the environment plus service plus education, I thought we could make something out of that," said Bruce Hartshorne, the former president of the Rotary Club. "So I came up with the idea of litter into literacy, and we've been running with that ever since."

The Rotary Club joined PennDOT's Adopt-a-Highway program in 1998, assuming responsibility for keeping the stretch of roadway litter-free. NHS joined the effort in 2021, and the fundraising element of the annual cleanup was added in 2022.

TVHS principal and Rotarian Bill Clements helped facilitate the involvement of the school's NHS chapter.

"It was a natural fit to have them," Hartshorne said. "We issued the invitation to them, and they've been joining us for the last (four) years now."

Last year, volunteers from NHS and the Rotary Club kept high spirits despite rainy weather and gray skies. NHS members found odd items along the highway like car parts and even a yoga mat.

To be a part of TVHS' NHS chapter, students must maintain certain academic standards and be nominated by their teachers to participate. NHS students take part in various community service projects throughout the year but noted that last year's Litter to Literacy event felt special.

"This probably has the biggest impact," said current TVHS senior Maggie Stoltzfus. "You are actually making a difference."

PennDOT provides the Rotary Club with bright orange/yellow vests and work gloves for the volunteers. The agency also assists with collecting the gathered trash following the conclusion of the event.

Last year, the event raised just shy of $16,000 for the library. Hartshorne said the club is hoping to increase that figure to at least $18,000 this time around.

The Twin Valley Rotary Club is a community service club. In addition to its annual trash pickup and Empty Bowls fundraiser, the club sponsors the Student of the Month program at TVHS and awards graduating senior students with scholarships.

The club meets at 7:30 a.m. on the first and fifth Wednesday of every month at the aforementioned Village Library, 207 Walnut St., Morgantown. It also meets at 6 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month at Windmill Family Restaurant, 2838 Main St., Morgantown. Prospective members are welcome.

To learn more about the club, visit "The Rotary Club of Twin Valley" Facebook page or http://www.twinvalleyrotary.org.