Good publicity, good examples, and good weather inspire 360 volunteers to make a visible difference
photos and text BY Melanie Jongsma
LANSING, Ill. (April 28, 2018) – Bright skies, brisk temperatures, and blustery winds greeted the 360 volunteers who participated in Lansing’s ninth annual Community Clean-up Day. Organizer Vivian Payne called it the most successful ever. News articles, social media posts, and an impromptu clean-up effort led by Mayor Eidam and Village employees on Friday, April 13, inspired dozens of new registrations in the final week leading up to the event.
Payne organized the volunteers into groups, equipped them with garbage bags and recycling bags, and sent them to 28 locations around the village, some of which were known litter sites and others that had been specifically requested by residents. For two hours, the groups picked up trash and recyclables along roadways, around railroad tracks, and throughout empty fields. After depositing their filled bags at the side of a road—so they would be collected by Public Works—the volunteers convened at the First Church pavilion, where grilled hot dogs and hamburgers awaited them.
Melanie Jongsma grew up in Lansing, Illinois, and believes The Lansing Journal has an important role to play in building community through trustworthy information.