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The Blackbelt Benefit Group is teaming up with the City of Selma for a cleanup and beautification project on Saturday morning from 10 a.m. until noon.

BBG recently landed a Love Our Byways grant for a beautification project along Selma’s downtown stretch of the 54-mile Selma to Montgomery March Byway.

The National Scenic Byway Foundation and the American Park Network  awarded BBG a $2,000 micro-grant. Toyota Motor North America also contributed.

The intersection of Broad Street and Water Avenue, including the improvement of flower beds at the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Broad Street, Alabama Avenue and Water Avenue will also be part of the cleanup.

“This is another great example of what can happen through community partnerships. We are together,” Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. said.

BBG President Josh Wilkerson is pleased that Selma officials aren’t letting the COVID-19 pandemic get in their way.

“We are excited to be able to continue our mission and bring some revitalization to a portion of the Blackbelt,” Wilkerson said. “COVID-19 and the resulting limit on large gatherings has really required us to find alternative ways to fulfill our mission.

“We feel like this beautification project is a great opportunity for the community to safely come together with the common goal of helping to make the Blackbelt a place that everyone is proud to call home.”

BBG and the City of Selma are looking for volunteers to help with this beautification project. Individuals and groups willing to roll up their sleeves and help are encouraged to contact preservation@selma-al.gov or 334-327-3300.

“When I first heard of this grant opportunity, I began researching local organizations that might be up for the task,” City of Selma Preservation & Development Coordinator Rachel Metcalf said.

“I contacted Blackbelt Benefit Group to apply because of the great work they’ve done and continue to do in the community.”