As countless guests filled the YMCA gymnasium to celebrate mother Earth, local wildlife and recycling groups educated attendees as part of the first annual Earth day celebration held Tuesday, April 22.

Special Events Coordinator Cathy Longfield was cutting out Earth tattoos and gifting free books. She said she's been celebrating Earth Day since the 80s where she used to give out saplings in the McDonald's drive through.

"I just want to educate kids and I want kids to have fun," Longfield said. "I want adults to know that the YMCA [is]a gym and a place to swim but we're also here for the community."

Many children attended the event including siblings six-year-old Charlotte and and five-year-old Will Wilbur from Middleboro. The pair said they love the Earth and both like picking up trash on their own.

"We're checking out the event because I love the Earth," Charlotte said, "Sometimes my parents don't let me pick up trash — I'm a nice person and people don't think I am because they won't let me pick up the dirty trash."

Charlotte said she's inspired to help the Earth because she watched a video about the harm trash does in school. Her goal is to pick up all the trash on the planet and said she'd scold those who litter.

"I would yell at them because that's disrespectful," she said.

Will showed off his magnifying glass he got from the event and said he had other methods of taking down litterbugs.

"I would kick them and fly in the air," he said.

The Church of the Good Shepherd was one of many groups offering information about how to protect the environment. The church is a partner with the YMCA and took over recycling for the building.

Deacon Hilary Greene from the church said they are trying to emphasize reducing and reusing in one of many ways they're giving back to the Earth.

"We've been educating our parish and doing fundraising to do more sustainable initiatives," Greene said. "We use reusable plates [and] we have a water cooler instead of individual water bottles."

The church has multiple initiatives in motion including a high school aged group called Teen Green that offers volunteer opportunities. Their booth had slips available with tips and tricks into the world of reducing and reusing.

Children like Charlotte and Will are big reasons why Cathy Longfield loves events like their Earth Day celebration. She was happy so many organizations showed up to help educate the community.

"I hope people walk away today with a little more knowledge or a little more enthusiasm for taking care of the Earth and taking care of out local environment," Longfield said.