Sunday, April 18, 1999
Volunteers swoop in, sweep up
BY EARNEST WINSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Dennis Schwemle's desire to help clean Northside wasn't diminished by Saturday's cold and wet weather. And he's an out-of-towner.
The Buffalo, N.Y., man is in Cincinnati visiting his girlfriend, Trisha Freedman of Colerain Township. She put him to work.
“I enjoy helping other people and putting in my fair share,” the 58-year-old said as he scooped up a pile of trash in a vacant lot off Dane Avenue. “I feel good about doing something like this even though this is not my community.”
Mr. Schwemle and Ms. Freedman participated in the Great American Cleanup, billed as the largest organized litter-removal project in the nation. Sponsored by Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, the city-wide effort included more than 3,500 volunteers from 68 organizations and 56 communities. More than 141,540 pounds of litter, trash and debris were collected from highways, streets, parks and vacant lots.
Christine Kuhr said cleaning her Northside neigh borhood will make people feel safer. “If you see an area with a whole lot of trash, you automatically feel threatened,” the 48-year-old volunteer said.
Volunteers reported clearing away grocery carts, shoes, underwear, fruit drink containers, tires, beer and wine bottles, couches and mattresses.
“I live in the neighborhood, I enjoy the neighborhood. It's something we need to do regardless of the rain,” said Pamela Washington, 37, of Northside.
Khalilah Slater, 22, was among about a dozen volunteers and members of Public Allies Cincinnati who did some last-minute cleaning and landscaping of two new handicapped-accessible houses on Steffen Avenue in Lincoln Heights.
“It's just a very surreal feeling knowing that people are actually going to live here and appreciate the work we did,” said Ms. Slater, whose efforts were a part of National Youth Service Day.
More than 3,000 parents, students, administrators, teachers, staff and school supporters participated in the fourth annual Spring Cleanup at Cincinnati Public Schools. Volunteers washed more than 4,642 windows, collected 742 bags of litter, used 308 gallons of paint, planted flowers, spread mulch and cleared nature centers.
At Taft High School, about 60 people turned out to paint walls and clean battered lockers. Sandy Hank, a special education teacher at Taft, said the cleanup offered teachers a chance to prove their commitment to kids.
“One of my students pointed to the crumbling walls and the missing light covers and said: "This is a ghetto. Do you think anybody cares about us?'” Ms. Hank said. “Well, I care. It is my vision to make this school look like someplace kids would want to go.”
Volunteers also helped remove debris and personal items from tornado-
ravaged areas in Loveland, Montgomery and Sycamore and Symmes townships.
Christy Berry and her mother, DeeDee Berry, both of Madisonville, spent the morning picking up tree limbs in Symmes Township.
“I don't regret being here for a minute,” said Christy Berry, 28. “I just needed to be here. I can't explain it, I just did.”
The Craven family of Sycamore Township waited on a school bus at Governor's Hill in Symmes Township to be shipped to an unknown location. “These people didn't ask for this,” said Mike, explaining why he wanted to help. Mr. Craven was with his wife, Mary, and their 11-year-old son, Alex.
Added Alex: “I just like to help people out, (and) since this is a big disaster, I figured I'd help, too.”
Among other cleanup efforts Saturday:
• Dozens of kids in Northside cleaned abandoned or under-used sites as part of “Wasted Places,” a neighborhood cleanup program sponsored by Silver Hammer Workshop.
• Bissell Inc. and volunteers teamed up for the annual spring event at the Ronald McDonald House on Erkenbrecher Avenue in Avondale.
• Scout troops, conservationists and volunteers removed debris from the banks of Winton Lake as part of the 12th annual Winton Woods Cleanup, sponsored by the Forest Park Environmental Awareness Program and the Hamilton County Park District.
Reporter Dana DiFilippo contributed to this story.
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