Citywide spring cleanup includes Northwest sites, seeks volunteers
NewsWorks Local Hero nominee Ray Gant is at it again.
This time, he is recruiting for the “6th Annual Philly Spring Cleanup” on April 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Gant is requesting 1500 volunteers join the citywide neighborhood cleanup initiatives.
“What these cleanups do is give people a sense of hope that their neighborhoods can be back to the neighborhoods that they once remember,” said Gant. “It may not be totally back, but at least they can come out of their doors and see cleaner streets.”
He continued by saying cleanups also serve as a good indicator of how well the communities are going to be sustained throughout the summer.
His volunteer call-out coincides with the city-wide cleaning initiative, which has cleaned 5.8 million pounds of trash from the neighborhoods and over 175 parks and recreation areas.
The official countdown was launched at the Community Women’s Education Project in Kensington last month.
“I’m continually inspired by the ongoing citizen engagement that is part of the Philly Spring Cleanup,” said Mayor Michael Nutter in a press release. “Community involvement is the impetus for a successful cleanup season and a beautiful city.”
Similar to his weekly cleanups as a cleaning supervisor for the Frankford Businness Corridor, Gant will focus on a small group of neighborhoods in hopes that they will become self sufficient areas. Then he will move on taking a handful of other neighborhoods and volunteers and then will start working on those areas as well.
“It’s like a one block, one neighborhood at a time initiative,” said Gant.
There are volunteer opportunities across the city. Sites in Northwest include:
Happy Hollow Playground, Pulaski Avenue and Logan Street
4900 block of Wakefield Street
5500 block of Germantown Avenue
Wyck Historic House, Garden and Farm
Houston Playground, 900 Grakyn Lane
Historic Rittenhouse Town, 206 Lincoln Drive
For more projects and to volunteer, go to Rayofhopeproject.org or PhillySpringCleanup.com.
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