This 13-year-old’s passion for the Potomac River is proof that the kids are indeed alright

To say that Teigan Hellman is an avid lover of the outdoors and a Potomac River enthusiast would be an understatement. A middle schooler from Arlington, he often goes boating, fishing, and stand-up paddleboarding on the river, in addition to running the Mt. Vernon Trail and biking along the C&O Canal. But on his many adventures by the river this year, something started to deeply disturb him: litter was scattered along much of the Potomac’s banks.

This stirred questions in the 13-year-old Teigan. Where does all this trash come from? How does it impact the river, the animals that live in it, and the people that drink the water that comes from it? How can I help protect it?

Teigan decided to talk to his parents, Lisa and Andy, to share his concerns. “We can't take a clean river for granted,” realized Teigan, “if we want to enjoy the Potomac with our friends and families for years to come.” And his parents agreed: “The Nation’s Capital should look like the crown jewel and not be covered in trash.”

Driven by a desire to make a difference, Teigan took it upon himself to act—and make protecting the Potomac River a central focus of his upcoming Bar Mitzvah service project. But with so many organizations in the area that work to protect the environment, Teigan wasn’t sure where to start.

He went online to do some research but kept asking himself: “What is the best way to protect the river? And what can I change as one person?” He was searching for answers as well as a community he could join.

That’s when he found Potomac Conservancy. “I loved seeing that the Conservancy’s work is very local, that you work right in my neighborhood. And I loved learning about the different ways in which you fight for clean water—by hosting cleanups, promoting clean water laws, and saving forests and trees.” He knew he wanted to get involved.

Teigan and Andy joined one of our cleanups and were quickly amazed by the impact a couple of people can make in such a short amount of time. Inspired, Teigan came back for another one. This time with a group of friends as well as the rest of his family.

“My peers are somewhat aware of the pollution in and around the Potomac, but I don’t think we do quite enough about it. It was great to make a difference together,” he said.

But Teigan didn’t stop there. He decided to bring even more people on board—and recently raised over $2,000 for our clean water initiatives. On his GoFundMe page, he shared with his community more about the Potomac River, like the fact that it provides drinking water for 90% of the DC metro area. He recounted the items he and his friends found on the river’s shoreline, including car parts, large amounts of fishing line, and more pieces of styrofoam than he could count.

“If we don’t take care of our environment, we don’t have to worry about any other issues,” Teigan says. He believes that protecting the environment is one of the greatest challenges of our time—especially for his generation.

This month, Teigan is starting 8th grade. But he’s already dreaming about what he wants the river to look like in 15 years when he’s all grown up.

“I love swimming and would love to be able to jump in the Potomac without worrying if it’s safe! If we could swim and play in the Potomac or the Anacostia, we wouldn’t need fancy pools, we wouldn’t need to drive to the beach, and water recreation would be accessible to everyone. It would be an amazing resource for all people in our region. And this is just one of the many reasons we should all take good care of our river.”

He now knows that he is the change he wants to see in the world. Through action, he saw first-hand that anyone can make a difference. His passion for the river shines through, and he is determined to keep using his voice to protect it.

If you, too, want to get outside with your family and do your part to prevent litter from entering the Potomac, join one of our upcoming fall river cleanups! We have multiple dates and locations available.

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