Community clean-up set to begin

First Christian Church, in collaboration with Cummins CES High Horsepower Division and the City of Columbus, will be conducting the annual “Green-Up Clean-Up” event.

Robin Hilber, Community Development Programs Coordinator for the city of Columbus, says that this event is developed with ideas similar to those of National Earth Day. She says that it encourages people to become good neighbors through efforts of cleaning up and repairing local neighborhoods, developing relationships between local businesses, churches and residents, and promoting community sustainability for future generations.

Hilber says that on Tuesday, volunteers from Cummins, First Christian Church, and the community will canvass the eight areas of focus. She says these include State Street north to 17th and Washington, east to Gladstone and back south to State Street, as well as the Pence Park Neighborhood.

Hilber says that residents living within the designated areas who would like to request a work order may call First Christian at (812) 379-4491 from Tuesday, April 5th to Friday, April 15th. Services offered include grass mowing, weed eating, trash removal, appliance removal, shrubbery trimming, recycling and one story gutter cleaning. Hilber adds that all services are free of charge for those residents living within the designated areas.

Hilber adds that on Friday, April 22, Cummins CES High Horsepower Division and Columbus Department of Public Works employees will begin day one of the two day Green-Up Clean-Up. She explains that shifts of volunteers will work on large projects such as curb painting, alley clean up and major corridor clean up from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On Saturday, April 23, Hilber says that First Christian Church members, community volunteers, and Columbus Department of Public Works employees will begin at 8 a.m. Last year, she says that over 125 volunteers worked on more than 130 homes. This year, First Christian Church staff and members, in collaboration with the Columbus Parks and Recreation Foundation, will also be launching a Planting to Pollination Project. Hilber says that this project, aimed at developing lifelong community relationships at a young age, will focus on planting various flowers in Donner Park to help with pollination.

To volunteer for Canvass the Neighborhood on Tuesday, April 5 or to help with the Green-Up on Saturday, April 23, call Dan Wallace of First Christian Church at (812) 379-4491 or email him at: [email protected]. To submit work orders for Green-Up, call Bonnie Jarvis at (812) 379-4491 or email her at: [email protected].