Steve Niger walks determinedly along the sidewalk north of Rose Arena, clad in a bright orange safety vest with his trusty grabber in his grip.

He and his four friends are here to pick up the little things other people leave behind and keep Central Michigan University’s campus emerald green.

It is not an easy job to pound the ground in search of wayward garbage from 10:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. five days a week. But Niger loves his work.

“I like picking up litter,” Niger said as he deftly snatched a crumpled cup from the ground.

Niger is one member of a crew usually consisting of six that moves around campus a day ahead of the facilities’ lawn mowers, making sure all the debris is cleaned up to prevent inconvenience, unsightly shredded garbage or even damage to the mower itself.

A close group

Niger and other members of the team are part of Mid-Michigan Industries, a local employer of many individuals with barriers to employment.

Russ Attwater of Mid-Michigan Industries directs MMI workers to their next destination Sept. 15 behind the Student Activity Center. (Libby March/Staff Photographer)

Atwater used to be a public school teacher at Hazel Park who assisted with handicapped individuals, but is keeping busy in his retirement, helping at MMI.

Niger has been working with MMI since he moved to Mount Pleasant in 1982, so he knows the ins and outs of the group.

“Steve does his own thing,” Atwater said.

Because Niger has problems walking, he often lags a bit behind the rest of the crew. But it is the perfect place to spot anything the others might have missed.

Even though Atwater gives Niger a bit of extra flexibility to work with his ambulatory problems, the others do not feel slighted.

“When I worked in the school district, (the students) used to complain about each other,” Atwater said. “These guys never have anything bad to say about each other. They’re great, they really are.”

Charlie Brown

But Niger is not just a workaholic. When he gets back after another fruitful day to his group home, he has his own interests to pursue.

“I have a cat to play with,” Niger said.

He has had Charlie Brown, which he named after the starring member of the ‘Peanuts’ comic gang, since he was a kitten.

“It’s been 15 years since I had him,” Niger said.

E-mail the author: Connor Sheridan