Travis Manion Foundation celebrates Earth Day with neighborhood cleanup in Philly

The Travis Manion Foundation continued Operation Legacy, its national week of service, with an Earth Day cleanup in Philadelphia on Saturday.

More than 300 volunteers united to clean up parks and playgrounds in Point Breeze, which “has no shortage of motivated community organizations and individuals with lots of exciting ideas and visions for improving the neighborhood, but manpower is often lacking,” TMF’s website said.

Volunteers included veterans, current military service members, police officers, 200 students from St. Joe’s Prep, Universal Audenried Charter High School and South Philadelphia High School and more.

Operation Legacy honors fallen heroes from 9/11 and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. With the mantra of “If Not Me, Then Who,” TMF’s mission and its Operation Legacy movement unites communities through volunteer opportunities like Saturday’s clean up in Point Breeze.

The Point Breeze effort was held in honor of Philly native Army Maj. John Pryor. The surgeon was killed in action in Mosul on Christmas Day in 2008.

TMF was founded after an enemy sniper killed Marine 1st. Lt. Travis Manion of Doylestown in Fallujah, Iraq, on April 29, 2007, as he was trying to protect his fellow soldiers. He was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with Valor for his actions.

TMF has four offices in the U.S. and served more than 60,000 veterans and survivors since its founding in 2007, its website said.