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Young people at the SideDoor Youth Centre are excited about the upcoming spring clean up drive, including front row, from left, Annabelle Villeneuve, Zaharah Charlo, Brody Pond, Ben Smicer, Travis Whelan, Cambria Hessdopher, and Cecely Larocque; back row, from left, Tye Sparvier, Jaylin Hamilton, Delila Larocque, Bradly Tuccaro, Rylee Pond, Aidan Sparvier, Alex Smicer, and Joseph Nayally Jr. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo |
Groups anxious for spring cleanup 29 youth groups to take part in annual litter pick-up campaign
Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Published Friday, April 26, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
It's that time of year again. The snow is melting and the sun is out, which can only mean one thing. It's time for Yellowknife's annual spring cleanup.
Twenty-nine youth organizations have successfully applied for this year's spring cleanup grants from city hall. The initiative, which is organized every year by the city's community services department, gives up $30,000 in funding for organizations that participate.
To prepare for the cleanup, the community services department divides a map of the city into 29 parts and assigns each of the youth groups to a specific area, for which it is responsible.
According to Brian Kelln, manager of programs for the department, each group is asked to provide a minimum of 20 volunteers.
The groups are then expected to collect anywhere from 40 to 75 bags of garbage, depending on whether they are assigned to a residential or a commercial area.
The cleanup of one area is supposed to take between two to three hours, and the city estimates the program will yield a total of around 1,500 garbage bags by the end of the week.
The city tracks the progress of each group and at the end of the week, the money is divided equally between each organization. The cleanup will take place from May 13 to 19.
All of the organizations involved range from sports teams and church groups to schools and community outreach programs. A separate event, the Downtown Litter Pick-up began Wednesday night for another summer of weekly after-work trash pickup.
Pastor Kirk Tastad from the Holy Family Lutheran Church said the money helps fund functions held at the church, as well as retreats and travel to events such as a national youth gathering, which his group attended last summer in Saskatoon.
The young people at the SideDoor Youth Centre will be participating in the cleanup for the seventh year in a row.
Garry Hubert, the executive director at the centre, believes the program is mutually beneficial for both the city and the organization.
"It not only helps us in program funding, but also gives the youth a chance to do their due diligence within the community," he said. "We welcome the opportunity each year to help in beautifying Yellowknife."
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