On the second Saturday of every month, while many people are easing into their weekend, Redondo Beach resident Jeff Rowe can be found unloading gloves, trash bags, water, snacks, and trash grabbers from the back of his SUV beside the Greenway path in North Redondo Beach.
By 9 AM, neighbors arrive. Some stay for two hours. Some stay for 45 minutes. Middle school students come to earn volunteer hours. New faces appear each month. And together, this small but determined group spends the morning making their community cleaner, safer, and better.
It is simple. It is consistent. And for the last five years, it has been Jeff’s quiet act of leadership. “This is grassroots,” he said. “I don't want to make this some nonprofit. It’s got to be grassroots.”
That philosophy is what makes Jeff’s story so powerful. He is not waiting for permission, a budget, or a formal title. He saw a need and stepped forward.
Jeff wears many hats. He teaches college, works in real estate, and has built a career that spans engineering, business, marketing, and education.
Today, one of his greatest passions (in addition to keeping Redondo clean!) is working with students preparing to enter the workforce. “My main job as a professor is to be a mentor to these young people who are about to graduate and start their lives,” he said. “The most important part of my job is to help them with their résumé, interview skills, and positivity.”
He often encourages students to begin serving others early. “One of the things I tell them is, you got to volunteer, and start young, because it'll make a difference in your life.”
That belief was shaped decades ago through his own first volunteer experience as a Big Brother. “I know I changed his life,” Jeff said. “He didn't have a father figure, so I was his father figure.” What Jeff received in return was not money or recognition, but something more lasting. “I got nothing in return but a sense of fulfillment.”
Jeff moved from Alabama to Redondo Beach in 1996 after taking an engineering job nearby. He quickly fell in love with the South Bay lifestyle. “I have to say the weather,” he said when asked what he loves most about Redondo Beach. “You can't beat it.”
But it is more than sunshine that keeps him rooted here. It is community.
The Greenway cleanup began in April 2021. What started as a quarterly cleanup is now a monthly tradition held on the second Saturday of each month. Jeff built a database of volunteers, and on the Thursday prior to every cleanup, he creates flyers, posts signs on telephone poles, and emails supporters. He has personally purchased many of the cleanup supplies over the years, along with receiving funding from Athens Services, a large waste and recycling company, and now from the North Redondo Beach Business Association.
“It’s small but effective,” he said. With as few as 10 volunteers, the team can clean the entire stretch of the Greenway. If more people come, they expand into nearby parks. Jeff’s motivation is deeply personal. “I live on the Greenway so it's like my front yard.”
One of the most meaningful parts of the cleanup is the participation of local students who come for volunteer hours. Jeff hopes they leave with something greater: a sense of ownership and pride in their community. “The kids that show up, they really enjoy it.” They also enjoy comparing notes about the strange items they discover along the path. “Beer cans, shoes. Why would people abandon their shoes?” Jeff asks with a laugh.
For someone so grounded in service, Jeff also has a playful competitive streak. “I was the Alabama State Frisbee Champion when I was 19,” he said. The competition included Frisbee golf, distance throwing, and an event called maximum time aloft, where contestants launched the Frisbee high into the air, then sprinted to catch it before it landed. “It was my first contest, and I won the whole thing,” he said. “It was fun.”
The story clearly illustrates who Jeff is. Even in lighthearted moments, Jeff has always been willing to run after something with full effort.
He also serves as a neighborhood watch captain, helping connect more than 200 households and encouraging residents to stay informed and involved. Whether it’s public safety, student mentorship, or picking up litter, he continues asking the same question: “What else can I do?”
For anyone wondering where to begin, his advice is simple. “Talk to friends and family about what they think needs to be done in the neighborhood.” Because needs are everywhere. Opportunity is everywhere. And according to Jeff, so is potential.
“You can move mountains and you don’t even know it yet. One person can change the world. You can be that person.”
“This is grassroots. I don't want to make this some nonprofit. It’s got to be grassroots.”