Students, community groups and residents of the Santa Clarita Valley gave a hand in the efforts to make the city cleaner one piece of trash at a time as the city hosted the Santa Clarita Neighborhood Cleanup on Saturday, in celebration of both Earth and Arbor Day.
“We wanted to give the residents of our city an opportunity to still volunteer and help us out throughout the city,” said project coordinator Oliver Cramer, “so it transformed into this idea of more of a hands-on volunteer event.”
Just as the title insinuates, the city invited all residents to volunteer to clean up their very own neighborhoods.
The city provided three locations for residents to come and pick up resources at the Newhall Community Center, Canyon Country Park and Bridgeport Elementary.
Cramer said these locations were chosen as a way to make the event widely available across the valley.
“I think kids are generally happy, but it’s the older residents that are really enthusiastic and really wanting to have a little bit of pride in their own city and their own neighborhoods and their own streets,” said Cramer. “That was really refreshing to see and to hear.”
Residents were provided with a trash bag, gloves and informational handouts that detailed environmental resources in Santa Clarita.
Some residents who attended the cleanup came to support the efforts and lend a hand to neighborhoods that weren’t their own.
“We provided this map of some areas that we felt that can use an additional helping hand,” said Cramer.
Residents spread across the city, cleaning up trash and litter on sidewalks, paseos and trials.
“I think about 75,” said Marina Nunez, a worker of the event, of how many came for the event at the Newhall location.
The Santa Clarita Neighborhood Cleanup held a free mulch giveaway and a tree planting in Bridgeport Park, also in accordance with the event.
Visit greensantaclarita.com for more information.
