Centennial volunteers snatch trash from neighborhood streets

INCLUDES FUN VIDEO | Discover why some two dozen outer East Portland folks came to help preen major streets in their neighborhood on this Saturday morning …

Volunteers with the Centennial Community Association gather to learn about their activities during their “Earth Day” Community Street Clean-up.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

Perhaps passersby were curious why vehicles were pulling into the Regal Cinemas parking lot at 16603 SE Division Street on Saturday morning, April 23 – long before the theater was open.

Even more, people were standing near a canopy near the center of the parking lot, as if something was about to happen there.

Many of them were seeing one another for the first time in person in years. At this event were CCA Board Members – Jessica Edholm, Chair Dan Bramske, David Linn, Sherry Willmschen, Theresa Connors, and Gayle Palmer.

“We are doing a Community Street Clean-up,” Centennial Community Association (CCA) Chair Dan Bramske told East Portland News. “We’re doing this to celebrate Earth Day”. But also, we’re doing this to ‘re-energize’ our neighborhood association after meeting virtually for two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Representing the Midway Business Association is President Christa Gortmaker – a with Venture Portland Representative Rich Reece, and Board Member Lorelei Young.

Ready to head out for a morning of trash picking is the Bybee-Carman family.

“Good things can come from an event like this. We’re getting out and showing the community that there are people who care about where we live, and are working to make a positive difference in our area,” continued Bramske. “It’s also a good thing that people, interested in their neighborhood, get to see each other on this sunny and 60-degree day!”

Near SE Division Street and 162nd Avenue, this cheerful volunteer picks up more trash.

Finding there’s lots of trash to pick up, this group gets busy cleaning the streets in Centennial.

“By being out here doing this today, we’re hoping that we get some good conversations started about how we can get more neighbors involved in more things in our area,” Bramske said, as he and his group headed out.

When it was over, the 23 volunteers collected 33 bags of trash along 162nd Avenue and Division Street.

See Centennial neighbors, in action, out cleaning
their neighborhood streets in this video:

For updated information about the Centennial Community Association, see their Facebook page: CLICK HERE.

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