Over the last 6 months, the St. Louis Association of Community Organization (SLACO) has recruited a small army of volunteers in a concerted effort to clean up the streets, sidewalks, alleys, and community spaces in 15 different neighborhoods across the city. 

Last spring, SLACO launched its beautification campaign, the Sundy Whiteside Keeping It Clean Initiative (KIC), beginning with the inaugural cleanup of Carr Square on April 16. 

Bolstered by ARPA funds, participating residents spent each weekend over the following months tackling a different neighborhood. According to SLACO Executive Director Kevin McKinney, the project set out to “not only enhance the physical landscape of our city, but also to nurture a culture of care, collaboration, and community.” 

From picking up litter on the streets to clearing out playgrounds choked by overgrowth, the cleanup crews, composed of local volunteers as well as paid “youth ambassadors,” worked to make their neighborhoods safer and more beautiful for residents of all ages – but especially the younger generation. 

“It’s very important that kids can come out and play in the communities they live in. Not having to cross town, go across the city, but walk out the door and come to their local parks,” Ron Hubbard, one such youth ambassador, told First Alert 4. 

SLACO saw the KIC Initiative as an opportunity to jumpstart potential young leaders’ engagement in public affairs and investment in community growth. So with the aid of ARPA dollars, they hired a cohort of young adults aged 18-24 to help spearhead the cleanup program. 

Studies show that cleanup projects like these have a ripple effect of benefits, including: 

• Increased awareness of the negative effects of pollution & mindfulness of volunteers’ own waste disposal habits
• Greater sense of pride, empowerment, and responsibility for the community’s success
• Higher participation in future community activities
• Stronger personal bonds between neighbors, forging connections across generational and cultural gaps
• Decreased crime rates

“By coming together, we can create lasting change and set a precedent for community-led initiatives,” McKinney said. 

The more residents give back, the stronger the city becomes.

On September 14, SLACO’s cleanup event aligned perfectly with Dutchtown’s 3rd annual Food Day and Community Festival, an all-day celebration of the neighborhood’s multicultural roots. While festival attendees thronged at Meramec St. and Virginia Ave to soak up live music, savor delicious local fare, and sample the wares of resident artisans, just down the street, a group of equally passionate volunteers gathered to give Marquette Park a makeover.

It was the KIC Initiative’s biggest turnout yet. 

“We did a heck of a job,” said SLACO Project Manager Keith Antone Willis Sr., who estimated that over 100 volunteers from 15 different organizations joined their efforts. “People want to live in a clean neighborhood, where we have safe places for our kids to play.”

“It’s amazing to have this large amount of people out volunteering,” said Alderman Shane Cohn, a longtime resident of Dutchtown.”It generates a sense of pride in the neighborhood that we call home.” 

Whether they’re breaking bread or breaking a sweat, St. Louis citizens are the core of what makes the city beautiful: a diverse network of vibrant communities united by a desire to grow – together.