Members of the Eagles Aerie No. 3619 gathered on April 21 to clean up Brys Park for Earth Day on April 22.
By: Alyssa Ochss | St. Clair Shores Sentinel | Published April 28, 2026
Under a clouded sky, the Eagles Aerie No. 3619 and volunteers cleaned up Brys Park in St. Clair Shores.
Volunteers gathered at the park at around 6 p.m. April 21 and scanned the area looking for trash to pick up. St. Clair Shores City Councilman John Caron helped, and Parks and Recreation Event Director Henry Bowman made an appearance as well.
Richard Greiner and Larry Greiner, two members of the club, said the club has hosted the cleanup for the last four years. Richard said they started after the COVID-19 pandemic. At first, a member asked to help at the Nautical Coast Cleanup, but council members said they already had enough volunteers for the event. They suggested the Eagles select a park to clean.
“We got this one (Brys) and I’m glad we did,” Richard Greiner said. “It’s a great park and actually I’m finding year after year it’s less and less garbage we have to clean up.”
“What amazed me, I’ve been a resident here for 70 years on and off, (I) didn’t know this park existed until they asked us to clean it,” Larry Greiner said.
They both said it’s a great park.
Brys Park has courses for disk golf, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, a dog park and more. Richard Greiner said the disk golfers thank them every time they come by and walkers and runners smile at them.
“They’re very respectful of what we do and I love doing it. It’s fun,” he said.
The first year, they cleaned the park after Memorial Day. The next year, they switched to Earth Day or as close to it as they can get. Due to a prescheduled meeting, the Eagles hosted the cleanup on April 21 instead of April 22.
They find a variety of things in the park including fast food bags, beverage cans and more. Richard Greiner said they haven’t found any needles in the park which he’s glad about. If they find clothing such as coats or shoes, they bring the items to the front of the park in case people come back to retrieve them.
He said they get a few nonmembers including Councilwoman Candice Rusie and others who help out. He said one year, a woman who was watching baseball helped after she learned what they were doing.
“It does become infectious I guess,” he said.
“Well, we’ve got a great city,” Larry Greiner said. “We really do.”
The Eagles Aerie No. 3619 is turning 51 this year. Their motto is “people helping people” and the aim of the group is to help the community by donating to charities and other acts of kindness.
At the beginning, the club consisted of men with an auxiliary for women. Now, it has both male and female members, but the auxiliary still exists. Members must be over 21-years-old to join.
Last year and in previous years, the club has been a part of the St. Clair Shores Memorial Day Parade and won the Best Patriotic Float last year.
Richard Greiner said they enjoy cleaning up the park and are very proud to have their home in St. Clair Shores.
Call Staff Writer Alyssa Ochss at (586) 498-1103.