Instead of watching Saturday morning cartoons or snoozing till noon like other 10-year-olds, Natalie Yanez’s son was by her side scrubbing graffiti and picking up garbage.

The early morning wake-up call led them to Santa Clarita, where they joined other Southern California Edison volunteers to help beautify part of the Angeles National Forest.

“It's crucial to instill a sense of responsibility toward the environment in our children,” said Yanez, SCE Government Relations manager. “They are the future stewards of these lands, and their involvement today shows how invested they are in preserving them for generations to come.”

The group spent the morning under the verdant canopy of the forest commemorating National Public Lands Day near the Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Memorial and National Monument.

“This forest is not just a place of natural beauty; it’s the living heart of our community because we make lifelong memories here. It felt great to be giving something back finally. In fact, my son was so proud of his volunteer work, he insisted on wearing his Edison volunteer shirt and hat to school the next week,” said Rochelle Silsbee, SCE Government Relations manager.

The volunteers partnered with the National Forest Foundation and TreePeople, which guided them through graffiti removal, trail maintenance and garbage pickup.

Parents let their youngsters take the lead as they used scrub brushes to scrape graffiti and then repaint over the vandalism.

“At first, I was sad that we were cleaning up the graffiti because I think art expression is cool, but once I realized the damage being done to nature, I was excited to paint over it and help beautify my community,” said Austin Yanez, Natalie’s son. “The large paint rollers were fun to use, too.”

While trekking through trash, the National Forest Foundation leaders described the havoc each piece of litter can wreak on the habitat.

“The Angeles National Forest is home to the endangered California condor, the largest flying bird in North America,” said Brian Robey, program coordinator at the National Forest Foundation. “The microplastics that litter their habitat can cause serious harm to them and their babies as they mistakenly try to feed them the trash.

"With SCE’s partnership, we have made a tangible difference in the health and vitality of the forest.”

For more information about Edison International’s philanthropic efforts, visit edison.com/community.