Efforts to Keep Genesee County, Michigan, Clean Are Praised

As the economy slows, so do many communities. One in particular is the greater Flint area of Michigan. The city has been subject to destruction and violence, making it the third most dangerous city in the U.S. However, in 2007 by July 1^st, the Flint City Police Department noted zero homicides, making it a first in 23 years. Much of the success goes to local volunteers who are acting on cleaning up the areas covered in abandoned buildings and sites with graffiti that display vulgarities and offenses.

Keep Genesee County Beautiful is a program that started four years ago. It first was a small handful of groups that wanted to take pride in the community they live in by cleaning up abandoned areas, cleaning landscaping that has not been kept up on, and giving other areas a little bit of TLC by adding a few things pretty.

Earlier this week, the program commended those whose efforts have been of great notice to the Flint communities. At an event held at the Genesee Valley Mall, awards were given out to nine different organizations and/or people who have shown their growing support to bring hope for a new beginning.

The awards were given to mostly every day people, except for a Fifth Third Bank who received the Business Award in their efforts to donate their time and encouragement. Another award was given to the City of Swartz Creek, one of Flint's most kept up suburbs.

Not only are adults taking part in the efforts to clean up the towns most unpretty areas. One teenager by the name of Rodney gave his helping hand in cleaning up the landscaping at Swartz Creek's Memorial Park as part of the Eagle Scout project.

But the most recognizable award went to the Graffiti Hurts Flint program for their efforts in reporting and correcting many painted monuments and areas.

Since the beginning of this year, volunteers set up hotlines to call to report graffiti areas. Within two days at the most, teams responded and ventured out to paint over the vandalized blocks.

In May, an astonishing 120 volunteers painted more than 270 sites that were victims of graffiti and reported an additional 80 sites to city officials that violated ordinance policies.

The groups goal is to not only clean up the city, but to make Flint a safe and clean area for businesses to move in and kids to play without danger. Their next effort is to start a program that patrols the Flint areas, then painting murals over especially vulnerable wards. This will give graffiti artists less of a chance to destroy areas with hateful and violent messages.

The Keep Genesee County Beautiful program has grown to include more than 140 partners, including businesses and locals, who add floral and attractive spots to the city. Not only that, they clean up highways and help recycle, also taking impact on the environment.