Dear All,

First of all I would like to thank everyone once again for helping with various litter cleanups in the past.  Together we certainly did make a difference in many areas close to all of us!

The first of this year I still had the goal of trying to do an organized cleanup at least every other month.  We had a very successful “Before the Super Bowl Cleanup”, was looking forward to doing something toward the end of March and were already in the planning stages for “The Great Indy Cleanup” in April.  Then COVID-19 hit the middle of March and everything got put on hold.

Some of us had thought about trying something around July 4th as things started to open back up; however, with the slowing down of opening and the recent mask requirement in Marion County, I felt it was best not to get together as a group quite yet.  This brings me to why I am writing today.  This weekend sounds to be pleasant, not the extremely hot days we have been having or are predicted for next week again.  I would like to encourage everyone to go out either on Saturday or Sunday by yourself or with a family member and pick up a bag of trash.  If everyone who is receiving this email would take a little time over the weekend to clean up an area it would make an even larger impact as to what our organized cleanups do.

Need some ideas of areas that need some TLC?  Think of some of the areas we have done cleanups in the past:

• Anywhere on 56th Street between Lafayette Road and the park entrance on the west side of the causeway or the corner of 56th and Raceway (I didn’t mention the area that cannot be done safely due to the narrowness of 56th Street and the hills that we have done with police help)
• Reed Road
• Bridges over I – 465 (56th Street, 46th Street, 34th Street, 21st Street)
• 34th Street from I- 465 West
• Dandy Trail – 46th Street south to Eagle Creek bridge
  
• Tansel Road – east of Raceway Road
  
• Faculty Park on 30th Street and along 30th Street close to the park
• Lafayette Road by 71st Street and south

Or select another area close to your home, as street or road I did not mention, an area by an intersection that you see needs some work, etc.  There are plenty of possibilities out there.

Before closing I would like to thank everyone who has been going out on their own pick up trash.  Several of you have let me know what you have done, I have also seen evidence of cleaner areas.  I have personally been out concentrating on areas by Eagle Creek Park – especially between Rick’s and 46th Street.  Noticed the last few days that the area needs it again……so maybe I will head down there now and pick up a bag today.  Hopefully many of you will “join me” by going out on your own over the weekend and picking up a bag somewhere as well.  Let’s see if by Monday morning there is a visible difference in the area.  If anyone would like to send me pictures from what you did (before and after shots, a “selfie”, picture of the bag of trash you picked up) I may be able to share some to inspire others.

Thanks again for your work in the past.  I will keep people posted as to when we will have a group cleanup, and hopefully we will be able to do that before long.  In the meantime I do hope you will join me in selecting an area and making a difference for our community.

Sincerely,

Janice McHenry