This group was one of 10 that spent Saturday cleaning their neighborhoods as part of a grassroots Love Your Neighbor day organized by the Glendale Civic Association. Photo courtesy of Kathy Masi.
On Saturday, April 21, the day before Earth Day, dozens of volunteers took it upon themselves to clean up neighborhoods in and around Glendale.
As part of the Glendale Civic Association’s first “Love Your Neighbor” day, 10 groups of residents cleaned, weeded, raked, swept streets and simply tried to make
their blocks a brighter place for their neighbors.
Kathy Masi, head of the Glendale Civic, brainstormed the idea months earlier and said she was thoroughly pleased with the turnout.
The one group she led out of the 10 had up to 50 people. It was a sizable turnout for a completely grassroots idea that started when Masi decided community service would be a great way to mark Earth Day and get to know her neighbors.
“Love Your Neighbor was only a small example of what a civic can do and how vital a role we play in helping a community develop core virtues and values that bring people together,” she said.
Local politicians, the 104th Precinct and other civic groups also sent their help. Each group picked a project and simply went at it, Masi said.
“Here we had neighbors from all over Community Board 5 donating their time and effort for one another,” she said. “Each group was free to pick a project, but no one
group was ever alone.”
By Jeremiah Dobruck
j.dobruck@theforumnewsgroup.com
