Dear All,
March is half over, spring officially begins this weekend, flowers are beginning to come up; however, there is also the major problem of litter that has accumulated over the winter. Many of you have participated in the “Great Indy Cleanup” in the past, either with your neighborhood or with another group. It is time to do those cleanups once again. I already know of a couple of neighborhoods that have set their dates and times. We will also be doing a major cleanup along 56th Street from the Park Office, across the causeway, and ending at Raceway Road. This will be on April 11th, with more information following on this soon, and I hope many of you will “save this date”.
Why I am writing today is to encourage many of your neighborhoods to get involved in your own cleanup. The information from Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) is below. If April does not work into your neighborhood schedule, you may schedule it later (such as May or June) or even yet this month (as one neighborhood in our area is doing). This would also be a great opportunity for your church, scout troops, clubs, etc. to organize a clean up in an area close to you that needs some TLC or in one of our parks. While I know your neighborhoods would want to do your own road frontage, common grounds, etc., if you have a church group, scout troop, or any other organization that would like to have some ideas of where there needs to be some work done, I would be glad to give you some ideas.
I hope that your neighborhood will become involved in “The Great Indy Cleanup”. I hope that many of you will help as well with some of the larger cleanups that are out there, including the one April 11th on 56th Street. Remember, you do not have to be part of an organized cleanup to help. You can pick an area and clean it up near where you live on your own. Also, a huge help on an ongoing basis is to take a plastic bag that you have brought home from a store with you when you walk the dog, go out on your daily walk, etc. and fill it up with trash. If everyone would do just a little it would make a huge difference in the area.
Below is the information from KIB (Keep Indianapolis Beautiful) on how to register your group, how to volunteer for a cleanup in progress, how to post photos, and where you can get trash bags and gloves during the month of April. It would be great if everyone would get involved in one way or another with “The Great Indy Cleanup!”
Sincerely,
Janice McHenry
City-County Councillor District 6
The April Great Indy Cleanup Event is right around the corner!
The 2015 Great Indy Cleanup season kicks off in April. This is KIB’s largest event of the year, and we hope YOU will join the fun! Last April, 208 neighborhoods coordinated cleanups with the help of over 7,000 volunteers, collecting 557 tons of litter and illegal dumping, along with dozens of beautifications!
There are THREE ways you can participate in the April Great Indy Cleanup Event:
- Coordinate a community cleanup: Find the date of your community cleanup, and complete the required request form to receive resources for your community cleanup.
- Volunteer: Join a cleanup already in progress as an individual or a group to help a neighborhood with their cleanup. Visit KIB’s Project Calendar to sign-up.
- See Litter? Take a photo then pick it up! When picking up litter in your neighborhood, be sure to post a photo on #Instagram and help us fill a digital dumpster! Those who post with the hashtag #EveryLitterBitHelps will be eligible to win a prize every day in April! If you need trash bags and gloves, visit your neighborhood Indianapolis Public Library any day in April. Because Every Litter Bit Helps!
Contact Tammy Stevens at tstevens@kibi.org with any questions.
Tammy Stevens
Program Manager
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.
1029 E. Fletcher Ave., Ste. 100
Indianapolis, IN 46203
o: 317.264.7555 x116