News release from the City of Fort Wayne:
Mayor Henry Seeks Volunteers for Clean-Up Day
Great American Cleanup Day enter 20th year(March 22, 2011) – Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry invites neighborhood associations, businesses, faith-based organizations and other volunteer groups to register for the City of Fort Wayne’s annual spring clean-up May 21.
The registration form is available at .
The City is again taking part in Keep America Beautiful national Great American Cleanup program. Volunteers of all ages will remove litter and debris from the City’s parks, roadways, trails and riverbanks. The City will provide groups with garbage bags, gloves and t-shirts.
“It’s a sure sign of spring when we start gearing up for the Great American Cleanup. This event gets bigger and better each year. It’s an important project that succeeds because of the thousands of volunteers who give just a few hours of their time in May to make our parks, streets and neighborhoods look great,” Mayor Henry said. “We welcome back the groups that have been part of the clean-up for years and those who are looking for a new way to make a difference in their community.”
A post-cleanup party for volunteers with food, music and raffle prizes will be 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 21 at Headwaters Park East.
For more information, including companies interested in sponsoring the 2011 project with donations for the clean-up or volunteer party, call the City’s Solid Waste office at 427-1345. Registrations are due by April 15.
The Great American Cleanup is the country’s largest beautification and community improvement project. It provides a high-profile platform for activities that meet specific local needs, including litter cleanups, litter prevention education, graffiti removal, beautification and community improvement projects, river cleanups, etc. About 3.5 million volunteers nationwide are expected to participate this year.
In 2010, more than 5,000 people participated in Fort Wayne’s event. Volunteers collected 185,760 pounds of litter and debris. They cleaned and beautified 42 miles of roads, streets and highways, 1,300 acres of parks and public lands were cleaned, 15 miles of multiuse trails, 15 playgrounds, 19 miles of riverbanks or shorelines. More than 1,060 tires and 1,680 pounds of recyclable materials were collected and recycled, plus 180 flowers and bulbs planted.
The City has hosted the local Great American Cleanup for about 20 years.
The national sponsors of the 2011 Great American Cleanup are: LG Electronics U.S.A. Inc. and Lowe’s Companies Inc. through the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, the Dow Chemical Co.; Glad Products Co., Nestlé Pure Life water, PepsiCo’s Pepsi-Cola and Gatorade companies, the Scotts Miracle-Gro Co, Solo Cup Co, Troy-Bilt lawn and garden equipment; Waste Management Inc. and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co..