Almost 1,200 volunteers collected more than 25 tons of litter and debris across the city's Northeast quadrant Saturday, May 16 -- marking the largest group of volunteers year. That brings the total collection for the year to more than 100 tons.
Clean Sweep is an initiative created by Mayor Duffy during his first year in office. To date, more than 15,000 volunteers have demonstrated their pride in Rochester by working along side City crews to clean and beautify the city. In addition to removing litter and debris, the volunteers do such things and plant flowers and prune trees.
In recognition of Rochester's 175th anniversary, this year's Clean Sweep is dedicated to Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture and designer of the city's first parks. Olmsted believed a city's beauty contributed to the civic pride of its citizens, which is the exact intent of the Clean Sweep program.
The Clean Sweep Saturdays have become community gatherings, offering citizens an opportunity to reaquaint themselves with old friends and make new ones. City crews also remove graffiti, clean City properties, repair sidewalks and fill potholes during the Saturday Sweeps.
Clean Sweep events have also become team-building exercises for neighborhood associations, church groups, school clubs and teams, and civic organizations. Residents can also take advantage of Clean Sweep by raking and their own yards and sidewalks and placing the bulk refuse at the curb, knowing a City crew will soon come by to retrieve it.
Saturday Clean Sweep Saturdays begin at 8:30 a.m. in a neighborhood park or Service Center, where volunteers arrive to free coffee and donuts. They're given a free t-shirt, assigned to a team and begin cleaning by 9 a.m. Tools are provided, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own. They return to the staging ground at 1 p.m. for a picnic to build on the community spirit that is the most lasting benefit of Clean Sweep.
Photos
Clean Sweep photo gallery from 04-25-09
Clean Sweep photo gallery from 05-02-09
Clean Sweep photo gallery from 05-09-09
Clean Sweep photo gallery from 05-16-09
Clean Sweep photo gallery from 04-26-08
Clean Sweep photo gallery from 05-10-08
Clean Sweep photo gallery from 05-17-08
Clean Sweep photo gallery from 05-31-08