Cole-Whittier Neighborhood Clean Up coming May 12th

Ever notice that right after you clean up your house, you're suddenly in a more positive state of mind? That the world feels like a better, friendlier place?

Or how about every six months when you take your old car down to the car wash. I'm not just talking about giving your car a bath--I'm talking about an inside-and-out cleaning that takes several walks over to the coin changer and that eventually sets you back about $5 to $8. You know the one--Where you repeatedly plug the coin-operated vacuum to evacuate all the dirt, dust, dog hair, old french fries, etc. from the inside of your car, and that finishes with a nice once-over using protectant to put the shine back on the dash? Isn't it amazing how simply cleaning your car up suddenly makes it feel brand new again? How when you pull away your car even feels like it drives better simply because it's clean?

I think the same thing could be said for neighborhoods (and there is research out there to support this assertion). In particular, I often wonder what a truly clean Cole Neighborhood would do for residents' sense of pride and ownership about where they live.

A cleaner Cole would not only make residents feel better about their neighborhood, but also better "market" the area to prospective residents and businesses that come through each and every day. Whether they're just passing through by chance, or here evaluating a potential home purchase or piece of business real estate, there really isn't any argument against the fact that our constant litter problem casts a shadow over the many positive things that are happening over here.

I try to do my part to pick up trash on my block, as well as other blocks for that matter when convenient; but my wife and I have often thought that a neighborhood-wide cleaning effort would be a good thing.

Kudos to the folks at MOP for putting together just such an event--The Cole-Whittier Neighborhood Clean Up, to be held May 12th from 9:30 to 12:00, starting at Cole Middle School.

I hope they have a good turnout for it, and that they can make a tangible "dent" (albeit a temporary one) in the ubiquitous litter in our neighborhood.

And for residents that can't make it, or are unaware of the clean up altogether, I hope that in fact there at least some minimal "momentum" generated by this effort. Meaning that some residents will notice that someone cleaned up their block, and perhaps make a little more effort to keep it that way.

Looks like residents interested in more information on the clean up can contact Brett Warner at brett.cwac@gmail.com or 720.299.2738.