Great Savannah Cleanup

More than one hundred volunteers rolled up their sleeves today to help keep Savannah beautiful. They gathered by the dozens to help clean up Savannah’s streets.

The Great Savannah Cleanup targeted the Edgemere - Sackville area.

Volunteers, young and old, put on gloves and filled trash bags with litter, in the hopes of restoring this area to its former glory.

“As you know the older ones dies out and the new ones move in, then it started going down. You know, people don’t care about if it’s not theirs,“ says Joan Williams, who’s lived in the neighborhood for years and helped bring the city’s attention to the area’s needs.

Many of the youngest volunteers chose this Saturday activity as a way to give back.

“I’m happy that I’m out here because you know, we can, we can make a difference, and it’s very different, because I’m not used to just going out on the street and picking up things,“ says Nia Dawson, vice president of the City of Savannah’s Youth Council.

The Great Savannah Cleanup also kicked off a $1 million project to put in curbs and sidewalks and fix drainage issues in the neighborhood.

City officials broke ground on the project, in hopes the improvements will motivate those who live here to keep their neighborhood litter-free.

“Pledge that these new curb cuts and these new driveways, that people park in the driveway, that they keep their lawns up, that they plant flowers, that we don’t just throw bulk trash out on the streets,“ says city manager Michael Brown.

It’s an effort a long time in coming for those who care about the area.

“It means everything to me, because, you know, once you work in a neighborhood for so long and something finally happens, it makes you feel good,“ says Williams.

Today’s cleanup was done in conjunction with the Great American Cleanup, which happens from March 1 through May 31 each year. This year more than three million volunteers are expected to help with beautification efforts.