See how, from Wilkes in the north, to Powellhurst-Gilbert in the south, these two associations help neighbors “get the junk out” ‚Äì and raise some money, too ‚Ķ
This neighborhood cleanup, sponsored by the Wilkes Community Group, raised funds while ridding the neighborhood of refuse.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
More than just holding meetings, many neighborhood associations take action to improve the livability of their immediate area.
Last month, “Clean-Up Days” were sponsored by two outer East Portland neighborhoods.
In the Wilkes Community Group, November 4 was the day neighbors were invited to remove the trash, refuse, and debris from their yards at a morning- long event at Margaret Scott Elementary School, 14700 NE Sacramento St.
Ross Monn, chair of the Wilkes Community Group, here works with Gordon Scott to help “get the junk” out of the neighborhood.
“The first Saturday in November is a good time to get this done. It’s important to clean up the neighborhood,” community group chair Ross Monn told us.
“It keeps our yards from being filled with trash. And, it helps prevent illegal dumping by people who don’t know what to do with their refuse. We make it easy–and inexpensive–to keep the neighborhood clean. The neighbors feel good, and it is a good community outreach for us,” Monn added.
Helping neighbor David Parrish unload some rubbish is Wilkes Community Group’s Steven Johnson, chair of the Clean-Up event.
Event chair David Parrish reported that their four large dumpsters were filled as 63 people dumped their trashy loads. They were aided by eleven volunteers, and collected over $600 in donations. “No one is required to pay,” Parrish said, “but people are really happy to have a place to dump their junk.”
Because the Clean-Up Day was a joint effort with the Russell Neighborhood Association, their volunteers earned $200 of the total amount to support Russell’s budget.
Southern Clean-up efforts near 2 Million pound mark
On November 18, the Powellhurst-Gilbert and Pleasant Valley neighborhood associations joined forces to the clean out their areas, too.
Clean-up co-coordinators Glenn Taylor and Mary Wooley and her grandson Anthony help at one of ten sites spread among the neighborhoods.
“I did some calculating, and the numbers surprised me,” event coordinator and former PG chair, Glenn Taylor told us, “We’ve been doing two of these projects a year. Not counting today’s event, we’ve collected 1,880,000 pounds of trash, not including metal, over the years.”
On that day, the two neighborhood associations had twelve 40-yard dumpsters distributed among ten sites.
“This is a lower-income area,” Taylor reported. “It really helps people by giving them a way to get trash out of their yards. Actually, it helps the neighborhoods come together. They meet one another, and start to draw together.”
About forty volunteers pitched in to make this event, the largest in outer East Portland done by individual neighborhood associations, possible.
© 2006 David F. Ashton ~ East PDX News
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