Keep It Clean, Selma plans fourth clean up

Published 10:49 pm Thursday, August 6, 2015

The fourth Keep It Clean, Selma clean up day will be Saturday starting from Houston Park Church of Christ.

The group of volunteers will work down Old Orrville Road toward Dallas Avenue and Cahaba Road.

Previous clean-ups earlier this summer included areas around Hope Academy, the Edmund Pettus Bridge and Old Town.

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“It is important to work in different areas across the city because we want as many people from as many different diverse backgrounds as possible to see what we are doing and see the signs that we leave behind,” said organizer Amy Collins Carmichael.

While the group plans to work every second Saturday through at least October, the hope is that one day there will not be a need to pick-up trash.

“Our ultimate goal is not to do this forever but to change the mindset of the community to not litter in the first place,” Carmichael said.

Changing people’s attitudes is just as important as physically picking up litter, supporters say.

“I want to continue to emphasize the dual meaning of Keep It Clean, Selma. It is not just about cleaning up the trash on the streets, but also cleaning up negative attitudes about our town,” Carmichael said. “We want people to be glad to be here and to take pride in our community, and we believe that starts with keeping it clean.”

While volunteer turnout dipped in June from the inaugural clean up in May, it rebounded in July.

“We were thrilled at the successful turnout we had last month. I can’t tell you how good it felt,” Carmichael said. “We got a lot done in a short amount of time, and everyone still got to enjoy their Saturday.

The group expects about 50 volunteers Saturday and hopes anyone interested joins them at 8:30 a.m. Houston Park Church of Christ is located on Crescent Hill Drive.