The Polanski Run

25 The Polanski Run There is an old man in our neighbourhood who is very unusual. The fact that he jogs every day is not unusual, but what he does while jogging is. What does he do that is so out of the ordinary? He picks up garbage. The first time I saw him running along, I could see that he had something in his hands. I thought maybe it was a pair of gloves. But then, he slowed down, bent over and picked up a piece of paper that was lying there. It was then that I realized he had all kinds of things in his hands. This strange old man became famous in our neighbourhood. He never talked to anyone, but whenever he went by, I would smile and wave. He was always stopping to pick up garbage that some thoughtless person had thrown right on the street. One day, we heard the news that while jogging, the strange old man was hit by a car and would have to spend some time in the hospital. We also learned that he could not speak English very well, which was why he didn't talk to anyone.

One of our teachers heard the news and decided to do something. She contacted the local television news channel and told them his story. The reporter went with a translator to visit the old man and write a story about him. His name was Mr. Polanski. In the country where Mr. Polanski grew up, there was no garbage on the street. So when he first saw people drop papers, cans, packages, and anything else they didn't want, it really upset him. He wanted to help clean up the garbage so he could be happy in this new country. Later, our school decided that we would have a run in the spring to pick up garbage, just like Mr. Polanski. He was even invited to cut the ribbon for the first run. We called it the “ Polanski Run" . That day, hundreds of kids jogged around the neighbourhood in groups, picking up garbage and putting it in bags. It became one of our school's annual events.