Julia Porter of the Blythe Oldfield Community Association and Dustin Tommey of Impact Cleveland accept Keep America Beautiful's White Glove Award
The Blythe Oldfield Community Association was awarded the Cleveland/Bradley Keep America Beautiful's quarterly White Glove Award Thursday evening. The guest speaker was Eloise Waters from the Bradley County Health Department
The award was presented to the BOCA membership by Lisa Pickel on behalf of KAB's Business and Industry Committee.
BOCA and its partner Impact Cleveland were recognized for the work they are doing in one of Cleveland's oldest neighborhoods.
The award, Ms. Pickel told those attending the monthly BOCA meeting, recognizes "your dedication to bring change in the community through activities from cleaning the creek that runs through the community to picking up litter and debris from the public spaces in the neighborhood."
The group also worked with the city of Cleveland to put up eight "No Littering" and "No Dumping" signs and installed nine new street lights and started a community recycling program.
"There are too many accomplishments to list," Ms. Pickle said, "but KAB would like for you to know your efforts in the community and the environment are greatly appreciated."
Dustin Tommey, community development director, of Impact Cleveland, said the community effort has many more projects coming up. Mr. Tommey encouraged the audience to take part in the city's Recycle 5K Run and Walk on Saturday, May 16 which starts at the Greenway Park. Registration begins at 7 a.m. The walk/run begins at 8:30 a.m.
That event will be followed by a community cleanup day at 1264 Chippewa Ave. And on May 23 there will be a Keep America Beautiful neighborhood cleanup day as well. More details on that activity will be announced later, Mr. Tommey said.
The Tennessee Aquarium donated 75 small Oak trees to BOCA.
"They need to be in the ground now," Mr. Tommey said. He asked neighborhood residents at the meeting to take one or more with them to plant on their property and in the community.
Impact Cleveland was founded in January, 2014 as a place-based initiative of the United Way of Bradley County.
The next BOCA community meeting is June 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the Blythe Family Support Center.