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| Credit: Woodland cemetery cleanup volunteers
Over at Woodland, a dedicated group of volunteers had already begun making headway, including Kathleen Harrell, a first-grade teacher at Shady Grove Elementary School.
Harrell tells PEOPLE she was shocked to discover two years ago that Ashe was buried in Richmond, and that her surprise inspired her to dig deeper into the local, long-forgotten cemeteries.
An initial trip to Woodland shocked her: I saw grass six feet tall. I saw briars. I could tell that they were headstones, but they were completely covered. I just felt like I had to do something, she recalls.
After rounding up family and friends, she managed to clear some trees, and soon found herself returning each weekend with a growing group to uncover headstones, pick up trash, mow grass and remove fallen trees. Both she and Harris also credit the efforts of volunteer John