Keep It Clean Selma gears up for an even bigger year in 2016
Published 9:04 pm Saturday, January 2, 2016
Keep It Clean Selma had dozens of volunteers assist in clean-up days during 2015. The organization is hoping to have even more helping hands during 2016. –File Photo
By Chelsea Vance
The Selma Times-Journal
Since its founding in May, Keep It Clean Selma has helped pick up trash from all around the area. After a successful 2015, the group is gearing up for an even bigger 2016.
Keep It Clean Selma is a group of volunteers that dedicate the second Saturday of each month to make Selma a cleaner, better place to live.
Amy Carmichael is the project coordinator of the group and said for the 2016 year, Keep It Clean Selma will continue its monthly routine. The group is scheduled to meet on Jan. 9. at the Edmundite Missions Bosco Food Center off of Broad Street.
The group cleaned eight areas in Selma in 2015 after being started by Carmichael, her husband Clay and Judge Robert Armstrong.
Carmichael believes that it is important for members of the community to get involved in the group and support a movement to make Selma a better place.
“There is trash everywhere and it’s a problem. Really, it’s us trying to get people outside in the community,” Carmichael said. “We think it starts with keeping a clean town.”
In 2016, Keep It Clean Selma will bring a year of new strategies that will be aimed in spreading how important it is for every resident to do their part in the upkeep of the city. Information will be channeled through students. The ultimate goal of Keep It Clean Selma for 2016 is to get people to stop littering. In the past, the group has placed signs at clean-up sites to remind people to properly dispose of their trash.
Carmichael said that she wants to plead with the residents to stop littering altogether.
“We’ve got to stop littering. The clean-up days are great. We have great participation and everyone is really enthusiastic about it, but we have got to get people to stop littering in the first place because it is just too big of a problem and there is not enough volunteers to pick up all of the trash,” Carmichael said.
She encourages anyone who is interested in joining Keep It Clean Selma to get more information through email at keepitcleanselma@gmail.com or the group’s Facebook page at keepitcleanselma.
