Livingston High School Student Nick Guido Cleans Up Local Basketball Courts: 'I Was Really Trying... To Help Our Community Out'
LIVINGSTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - An Essex County teenager has taken it upon himself to save his local basketball courts from being shut down.
As CBS2's Meg Baker reports, Nick Guido, a senior at Livingston High School, likes to shoot hoops before and after school. He's there at the courts lot.
"It's kind of like a safe zone for me. Like whenever I'm stressed out or need to calm down," he said.
The park had been closed due to COVID in the spring, then reopened this summer, and was swamped since outdoor hoops was one of the only games in town.
Ron Barbella works for the township and coaches Nick in football.
"The courts were getting destroyed with bottles, garbage, so we had no choice but to put up these signs," he said.
The signs read, "Please throw trash in cans, or rims will be removed."
Barbella then noticed a change: The area was immaculate. But who was doing it? His son told him it was Nick.
Nick didn't tell anyone he was cleaning the courts - not even his mom.
"I didn't actually [know] until his coach Ron told me about it. I was very impressed and proud," said Nick's mother Colleen Guido. "He's dedicated to everything he does: Schoolwork, sports, at home."
"This should go noticed," Barbella said. "He just has a great attitude, great attitude."
"I've been, like, cleaning up because I saw these signs up, and I was really trying to keep the environment clean and help our community out," Nick said.
He did it all summer long and still does - for love of the game, and to keep some sense of normalcy for other kids during a time when so many activities have been interrupted due to the pandemic.
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