Latest news with #GarbageOlympics
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Third annual Garbage Olympics helps neighborhoods shine
Alyssa Espinoza of NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania had three words of advice for West Side teams participating in the third annual Garbage Olympics Saturday. 'Follow that trash!' In the Pine Brook section of the city, Roger Young, Director of Community Revitalization for United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern PA, also offered words of encouragement to event participants. And, although both teams — West Scranton and Pine Brook — were in it to win it, a spirit of cooperation in an effort to clean up the city prevailed. * Roger Young, Director of Community RevitalizationUnited Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern PA, takes time to equip participants for the 'Garbage Olympics' in the Pine Brook area of Scranton Saturday. (GERI GIBBONS/STAFF PHOTO) * Team Pine Brook took on Team West Side in the 3rd annual Garbage Olympics on the final day of Scranton City Pride projects. (GERI GIBBONS/STAFF PHOTO) * Teddy Michel of NeighborWorks picking up trash in West Scranton Saturday as part of a community effort entitled 'Garbage Olympics.' (GERI GIBBONS/STAFF PHOTO) Show Caption 1 of 3 Roger Young, Director of Community RevitalizationUnited Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern PA, takes time to equip participants for the 'Garbage Olympics' in the Pine Brook area of Scranton Saturday. (GERI GIBBONS/STAFF PHOTO) Expand Group leaders from both teams equipped participants with safety vests, garbage bags, litter pickers and a bit of advice. For example, Espinoza encouraged participants to travel in teams if possible and reminded them to avoid picking up needles. And, although the ultimate winner of the competition was the team that simply picked up the most trash, the West Scranton team also had some additional incentives to pick up the most trash possible and to have fun with it. West Side team members had a chance to win a prize for the most unusual piece of trash collected and for being the most valuable player. The team also played 'trash bingo' with a space for items such as books or a fast food bags. True community effort The event concluded Scranton City Pride, a series of citywide beautification and environmental stewardship projects over the course of about two weeks. The great benefit of such a cleanup was that everyone can participate, Young said. For example, an older woman with limited mobility let him know she would be cleaning up in front of her house and the lot next door. Families with young children were also welcome to participate, he said. Chrissy Manuel, Director of Development and Communications at United Neighborhood Centers, said the event gets people involved and helps people get to know their neighbors. It was NeighborWorks board member Teddy Michel's first time coming out to the annual cleanup and he was impressed. 'It's a little piece of restoration and a great community event,' he said. Michel said not only did the cleanup brighten neighborhoods, it was also good for the environment, keeping trash first out of the water system and ultimately out of the river. Scranton City Pride is a joint project of Scranton Tomorrow, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania, and United Neighborhood Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania (UNC). It is a 'Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful' program.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
City Pride volunteer projects to beautify Scranton
The Garbage Olympics and other cleanups will return in Scranton under the annual City Pride volunteer beautification program May 27 through June 7. A joint program of three nonprofits — Scranton Tomorrow, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania and United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania — the spring spruce-up projects make a big impact, organizers said Monday in announcing this year's edition. Last year, 4,188 volunteers participated, contributing 2,190 hours, completing 57 projects and removing 3,600 pounds of trash from city streets. A new initiative this year will have Scranton Tomorrow partnering with the Lackawanna Blind Association to create a sensory garden on June 3 at 10:30 a.m. outside the association's center at 248 Adams Ave. downtown. A sensory garden's plants are chosen for their unique textures or scents, said Steve Ward, Scranton Tomorrow's project manager of Safe, Clean, Green and Design programs, and who also is a master gardener. The sidewalk area outside the association already has one large planter and four more will be added to create the sensory garden, Ward said. Plants might include mint, basil, lamb's ear and dusty miller, he said. 'It really is an incredible thing to experience nature with your other senses, other than your sight,' Ward said. The smell of victory The third annual Garbage Olympics will take place June 7 at 10:30 a.m. Teams in West Scranton hosted by NeighborWorks and in Pine Brook hosted by UNC will speed clean their respective areas. The team that removes the most trash and debris from city streets and sidewalks in two hours wins. Parties will follow. 'It's a great way for people to come together in the spirit of friendly competition and make a difference in their neighborhood,' UNC Director of Community Revitalization Roger Young said. Since the Garbage Olympics began in 2023, 100 volunteers on Team West Scranton contributed 200 service hours to remove 3,830 pounds of trash. For the first Garbage Olympics, NeighborWorks wasn't sure what kind of community response to expect, but the event has grown into an annual spring tradition in West Scranton, said Alyssa Espinoza, NeighborWorks' Aging in Place project specialist. 'It's inspiring to see people of all ages coming together to make their community a better place to live, and they have fun, too,' Espinoza said. Individuals, families, corporate teams and community groups are encouraged to join Team Pine Brook or Team West Scranton. To learn more and register, see Scranton Tomorrow's website and click on the link for Scranton City Pride. Volunteer opportunities Additional volunteer opportunities include: • Beautification/plantings: Weed, prune, plant flowers and enhance curb appeal. • Cleanups: Remove litter, rake, sweep, and paint over graffiti in parks and green spaces. • Environmental stewardship programs: Participate in storm drain cleanups to protect the Lackawanna River Watershed or help to expand the local pollinator garden network. • Design a project: Scranton City Pride team members will help volunteers develop their own project ideas from concept to completion. Contact Steve Ward at steve@ or 570-963-5901. • Beautify the Downtown Business District: Business owners are encouraged to tidy up sidewalks and storefronts in downtown Scranton. They may also enter creative floral container arrangements in Scranton Tomorrow's Downtown Business Class Category of the Electric City Flower Show. For information on downtown floral displays, email Liz Baldi at lizbaldi@ • Be a good neighbor: Homeowners are encouraged to clean, spruce up or improve their home's exterior or front yard, and take advantage of free educational programs offered during Scranton City Pride. Local experts will offer tips on gardening, home maintenance and more. Learn more at Volunteers can register as individuals or teams representing nonprofit organizations, neighborhood associations, businesses or other groups, and will be provided with work gloves and trash bags. For information or to register, see the Scranton Tomorrow website or contact Ward at his email and phone number above. Citywide City Pride Scranton Tomorrow began City Pride in the mid-1990s as an annual week of spring cleanups and plantings throughout the city. Over the years, City Pride grew into a Scranton Tomorrow signature project, annually drawing more than 1,000 volunteers pitching in on over 30 projects in parks, neighborhoods and business districts. Scranton Tomorrow eventually reduced the scope of City Pride to the downtown and the program paused in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It relaunched citywide in 2021. NeighborWorks joined in 2022 and UNC joined in 2023. Scranton City Pride is made possible with support from American Water Charitable Foundation, Pennsylvania American Water, Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
