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A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
5
May 10, 2012
B
ELLEVILLE
- R
OMULUS
City-wide clean up planned for Saturday
Volunteers are being sought to
participate in the annual Romulus
citywide cleanup known as Clean
Sweep Day, scheduled to begin at
9 a.m. this Saturday, May 12.
Participants are asked to stop
by the Romulus Senior Center at
36525 Bibbins to select an area of
the city to clean. Trash bags and
gloves will be provided.
Volunteers are asked to bring
their own tools if possible. Some
toolswill be available.
Fruit, bagels, donuts and coffee
will be provided at the Senior
Center, courtesy of Waste
Management.
A related organized effort will
see volunteers plant flowers,
donated by Block's, in public
places.
In addition, participants are
invited to return to the Senior
Center at 1 p.m. for a demonstra-
tion on square-foot gardening by
Romulus resident James Lee, a
certified square-foot gardening
instructor. Lee will provide tips,
tricks and techniques.
Clean Sweep Day dates back to
1999, when it was suggested by
Councilman LeRoy Burcroff, who
said a day was needed to bring the
community together for a common
cause. The effort came to fruition
under the late Mayor William
Oakley and continues under cur-
rentMayor AlanLambert.
The day involves volunteers
gathering to clean public places,
including streets, downtown
Romulus, the Civic Center com-
plex, the veterans memorial and
park space. City ordinance offi-
cers have selected other locations
that need attention.
Besides individual residents
and business people, participants
include civic organizations,
Scouts, members of the Boys and
Girls Clubs of Romulus and
Belleville, church groups, senior
citizens, military veterans, city
employees and others. Young peo-
ple in need of service hours for
school will receive certificates.
School children and employees
typically clean up their school
grounds in the days leading to
CleanSweepDay.
Some residents prefer to join in
cleanup efforts in their own neigh-
borhoods.
“The day is truly a citywide
clean sweep,”Burcroff said.
“The thing I love about the day
is it's an opportunity to get togeth-
er, to take ownership of an area, to
clean our streets and school
grounds and take some pride in it.
We spend time cleaning on a
Saturday morning in May, which
prompts people to keep an eye on
it throughout the summer.”
Burcroff, who has served on the
city council since 1997, encour-
aged anyone interested in the
community to visit the Senior
Center and get involved.
“This really bolsters pride in
the community,” he said.
“We have people who care
about our city andwant a pleasant
community in which to live and
they're not afraid to volunteer. If
you care about our community
andwant to do something positive,
come out, get involved and have a
good time for a great cause.
“We provide the pokers, the
gloves and bags. We don't want
anyone picking glass or anything
dangerous. We ask the volunteers
to pick up paper and other trash
and to put it in garbage bags that
will be picked up in the next cou-
ple days. It really spruces up the
community.”
Lambert praised the efforts of
Burcroff and of all of the partici-
pants.
“This is a wonderful event for
our city,” Lambert said. “Nobody
gets involved with this to get a pat
on the back, but Clean Sweep Day
really makes a difference in
Romulus. We appreciate everyone
who has volunteered in the past
and say thank you in advance to
those who will donate time and
effort on May 12 and throughout
the year.”
For more information about
Clean Sweep Day, call (734) 955-
4502.
Belleville food drive this weekend
The National Association of
Letter Carriers (NALC) will cele-
brate the 20th anniversary of the
Stamp Out Hunger food drive on
Saturday, May 12, and collect non-
perishable and non-expired food
and toiletry items. All food collect-
ed by the Belleville mail carriers
will be distributed to those in need
in theBelleville community.
This year, the Belleville area
postal carrierswill collaboratewith
The First UnitedMethodist Church
of Belleville, St. Anthony's Parish of
Belleville and The Salvation Army
PlymouthCorps to ensure that fam-
ilies and individuals have food on
the table over the comingmonths.
Residents throughout Belleville,
Van Buren and Sumpter townships
are encouraged to place non-
expired, non-perishable food and
toiletry items in a bag by theirmail-
boxes, allowing neighborhood let-
ter carriers to collect the donations.
The donated items will be sorted at
The First UnitedMethodist Church
on Monday and Tuesday, May 16
and 17. Volunteers will be need-
ed. For more information, email
laurie_aren@usc.salvationarmy.
org.
All types of food are needed, but
in particular, canned meats
(tuna/chicken), canned fruit,
Spaghetti-o's (and other canned
meals), cereal, peanut butter and
jelly, and juice are in high demand
as are all toiletries.
Tina DeBord of the Belleville
Post Office is leading the food drive
this year. Sandy Askew from First
United Methodist Church of
Belleville and Laurie Aren of The
Salvation Army are helping with
media promotion and volunteers to
support this important community
event.
“The postal workers are step-
ping up to collect the food, but the
success of the drive depends on
community participation to fill the
bags with non-expired food.
Please join with the letter carriers,
your neighbors, First United
Methodist Church, St. Anthony's
and The Salvation Army to “stamp
out hunger in our community” said
Major DanHull, corps officer of the
PlymouthSalvationArmy.
Person of the Year
The Greater Romulus Chamber of Commerce has selected Jim
Poet as the 27th Romulus Person of the Year. More than 165 individ-
uals attended an awards dinner where Poet received accolades and
resolutions. Chamber President Bill Kren presented resolutions from
senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin and Chamber Vice
President Chuck Zuerner presented resolutions from Congressman
John Dingell and Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano. Senator
Hoon Yung Hopgood, joined with Sen. Glenn Anderson to present
Poet a resolution from Gov. Rick Snyder. Other accolades were pre-
sented from the Romulus Chamber of Commerce, Romulus Fire
Department, Romulus Rotary, Romulus Downtown Development
Authority and Romulus Pumpkin Festival.