This group was created to help promote small scale cleanups throughout the city, asking volunteers to dedicate just 1 hour per month to cleaning up their nearby surroundings. Neighbors began using this group to inform others of other clean up opportunities throughout the city.
The Madison Heights Beautification Project was my first group born of the analysis I was working on within my community. In a local forum, a post about trash near the expressway exits exploded. People were angerly discussing how disgusting these areas were, and taking out their frustrations on the homeless residents that frequented these areas. I was appalled. In the middle of the day, my 5 year old and I went to one of these areas and spent 20 minutes cleaning up as much trash as we could. Assisted by Dave, the homeless gentleman who was using that corner to collect money for food, we were able to clean up nearly every piece of trash, filling 8 bags.
I followed up with process pics and posts in the community forums, and the next month we had more than 6 volunteers come out and help us. This was my first attempt to integrate into my community.
One of the largest pain points here in our city is code enforcement. With only one officer serving 29,000+ residents, the city’s resources are spread thin. Many of our residents are older, low income, or disabled, and find it difficult to keep up with maintenance tasks. I hope to use this group to motivate volunteers to turn to their neighbors, lend a helping hand, and reduce the burden of city services by helping each other keep our city clean.
Find the group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2120698708214708