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Willamette River Spawns Teen Crusade

Eugene Oregon Willamette River SummerGrowing up near the banks of the ‘river of life,’ Jerry Herrmann thinks back to his early days of fishing on the Willamette in Oregon. People weren’t as conscious about protecting the environment back then, and the river was almost destroyed by pollution, sewage and waste back in the 1960s. By combining his two passions – of dedicating his life to cleaning up the environment and helping at-risk youth – the Willamette River 60 Mile Discovery Cruises was born. In addition to lectures, guests of this fundraising adventure will be entertained by poets, historians, artists and musicians. The river cruise is an excellent way to make people aware of the river’s history and Eco problems, and get involved in their environment – and in the lives of the youth of their city.

Funds from his cruises go toward Herrmann’s Earth Crusaders – a non-profit organization for at-risk youth – which instructs teens in developing a fine work ethic and teaches them how to work with the public. Oregon’s state and local agencies refer troubled teens to Earth Crusaders, where they earn minimum wages for various worthwhile projects – helping to give them employment at a time when it’s difficult for even adults to make a proper living.


According to Herrmann, “We can learn from our history or continue to practice the failures of our past, and in learning from our past, we can avoid problems in the future.”

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