Cleaning up and honoring teen
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Hardin Valley “Team Up to Clean Up” co-chairs Maureen Cianciolo, left, and Knox County at-large commissioner District 11 Kim Frazier, right, are pictured with Knox County Commissioner 6th District and committee member Terry Hill, second from left, and one of several Knox County Sheriff’s office deputies who helped out with the Nov. 8 event. - Photo Submitted
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More than 40 friends, family members and Food City co-workers of the late Charlie Schuster took part in Hardin Valley’s biannual “Team Up to Clean Up” event Nov. 8. - Photo Submitted
Hardin Valley teen and former longtime Food City employee Charlie Schuster lost his life in a car accident Jan. 3, 2025, but many who knew and loved him are carrying on his memory in a variety of ways — most recently during the biannual Hardin Valley “Team Up to Clean Up” event Nov. 8.
More than 40 family, friends and former Food City coworkers “who loved Charlie” formed a team that day, wearing T-shirts that featured a tennis shoe (Nike shoes were a special passion) along with the slogan “Live Laugh Love Like Charlie,” said Food City human relations coordinator Evelyn Rolan, who spearheaded the effort.
Although Rolan said she didn’t know Charlie well, she still “wanted to do something to
honor him” in the aftermath of his death, as he had worked for Food City since he was 15 years old.
“My store manager, Joe Fahy, offered several suggestions [on how best to do that], and adopting part of the road was what I decided on,” Rolan said. “We wanted to adopt Hardin Valley Road in front of the school and store, but it was already adopted, so we adopted a portion of [it] just past the store.”
The November clean-up was the first for the group, but it plans to participate in the spring and fall “Team Up to Clean Up” events, Rolan said, which is in conjunction with Keep Knoxville Beautiful’s Adopt-a-Road program.
Maureen Cianciolo and Knox County District 11 Commissioner at large Kim Frazier co-chaired the biannual Hardin Valley “Team Up To Clean Up” effort.
“Over time, 10 miles of roadway in Hardin Valley have officially been adopted by various business/church/neighbor groups and all of them participate in the twice-a-year cleanups as part of their agreement with Keep Knoxville Beautiful,” Cianciolo said.
“We organize these events to improve quality of life, build community, raise awareness of the impact of litter, keep trash out of the waterways and help to keep Knoxville beautiful,” she added.
“This event brings people together for the betterment of the Hardin Valley community,” Frazier noted. “It’s an incredible, family friendly opportunity that encourages public service and personal investment in our community.”
More than 100 individuals, many comprising teams, participated this year.
“The Hardin Valley ‘Team Up to Clean Up’ event includes volunteers from all of the 10 Adopt-A-Road groups in the area, including Vulcan, Matlock, Immanuel Church, Marietta Church, Karns Firefighters, Food City, State Farm, school sports teams, residents, etc,” Cianciolo said.
“There is huge community support for these cleanups.”
More than 160 bags of trash were collected during the Nov. 8 event, Cianciolo shared.
Begun in the 1990s by long- time community leaders and Hardin Valley residents, Chrys and Mike Huston, Hardin Valley “Team Up to Clean Up” is now overseen by the Valley Vision Committee of the Hardin Valley Business and Community Alliance, a committee chaired by insurance agent Sage Kohler.
“My team and I have really enjoyed working the ‘Team Up to Clean Up’ over the last 5 to 6 years,” Kohler said. “We actually feel like it’s a great way to build teamwork and camaraderie, as well as an opportunity to give back to the community that supports us!
“There hasn’t been a street available to adopt, but Steele Road recently became available, and we will be the sponsor of it so we got to focus on that road [during the Nov. 8 event].”
