Over 100 Dallas County residents showed up to participate in the Resident in Service United in Partnership (RISE UP) on Saturday at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church.

The initiative spearheaded by local pastors and Selma City Councilwoman Miah Jackson of Ward 3. The ministers behind RISE UP are Pastor Steve Burton of Cornerstone Church, Pastor Judge Robert Armstrong of Bluejean Church, Pastor Lance Eiland of Church Street Methodist, Pastor Jerry Light of First Baptist Church and Rector Jack Alvey of St. Paul Episcopal Church.

Equipment, including BushHog tractors, lawnmowers, and weed eaters, valued over $500,000 were donated to the cause.

“It was inspiring to see the response to the RISE UP initiative where Selmians proved we come together to work towards a common purpose,” Jackson said. “I’m so thankful to each and every individual, agency, government entity, business, and church who gave of their time, effort, and resources.”

Eiland, who was part of the RISE UP presentation at the City Council meeting on June 26, saw the event as a community-builder.

“This is a way to make our county better and in Ward 3,” Eiland said. “I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Rayco Industrial and Steward Properties were the two companies that sponsored RISE UP. Ray Harrellson of Rayco Industrial and Darrell Steward both attended the event and spent the morning picking up trash and tree limbs on BushHog tractors.

“I thought it was a great way to get the county involved,” Steward said. “I’d like to have seen more participation from the city of Selma as a partner to this.”

Harrellson was also critical of the city’s lack of support with RISE UP.

“The city could’ve provided us with more trailers so we could’ve gotten three times more work done,” Harrellson said. “Steward and I both offered to pay for them. The code officer needs to do something about this trash.”

Crosspoint Christian Church’s George Wood graciously dropped by to support RISE UP.

“The whole deal is God has blessed us,” Wood said. “Blessings aren’t for us to take, it’s to pass it on to the next person.”