Help make Rochester sparkle at Clean Sweep
More than 19,000 volunteers have demonstrated their pride in Rochester by working alongside City crews to clean and beautify just about every street in the city. In addition to removing litter and debris, volunteers do such things as planting flowers, pruning trees and performing other neighborhood beautification projects.
What can I expect at a Clean Sweep?
Clean Sweep Saturdays have become community gatherings, offering citizens an opportunity to reaquaint themselves with old friends and make new ones. City crews also remove graffiti, clean City properties, repair sidewalks and fill potholes during the Saturday Sweeps.
Clean Sweep events have also become team-building exercises for neighborhood associations, church groups, school clubs and teams, and civic organizations. Residents can also take advantage of Clean Sweep by raking and their own yards and sidewalks and placing the bulk refuse at the curb, knowing a City crew will soon come by to retrieve it.
Saturday Clean Sweeps begin at 8:30 a.m. where volunteers arrive to free coffee and donuts. They're given a free t-shirt, assigned to a team and hit the streeets by 9 a.m. Tools are provided, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own. They return to the staging ground at 1 p.m. for a picnic to build on the community spirit that is the most lasting benefit of Clean Sweep.
Want to see all the fun for yourself?
Video from the May 1 Clean Sweep:
Photo galleries from the 2010 Clean Sweep:
Photo galleries from the 2009 Clean Sweep:
Looking ahead
Check back for details about next year's Clean Sweep events.