A cleanup event in Springfield’s Grant Beach Neighborhood this weekend will not only make the area look better, but the organizers hope it will reduce crime.
The cleanup is part of Wear Orange Weekend and National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Volunteers with MO Moms Demand Action, in partnership with the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, will host events Saturday, June 8, with the goal of honoring the lives of those affected by gun violence and elevating gun prevention efforts nationwide.
In Springfield, that will include a chance for people to drop off trash, including large items, at 1330 N. Boonville, beginning at 8 a.m. Pickup options are also available.
Jean Knapp, a local participant in Moms Demand Action, said the idea behind the cleanup stems from the idea that keeping neighborhoods clean and residents involved can reduce crime.
"Studies have shown that when neighborhoods are cleaned up it shows that neighbors are aware of their surroundings and have a vested interest in their neighborhood," she said, "and this deters crime because they look less like a neighborhood where crimes can be committed or hidden. And it also increases neighborhood cohesion and neighborhood pride."
The Grant Beach Neighborhood Association is co-hosting the cleanup. Its president, Jamie Tatum, hopes the event, in its third year, will have an impact.
"Working on beautifying things and making it cleaner and safer, it kind of sets the standard and raises the standard in our community to where people just naturally kind of start to respect it more," she said.
Others hosting the cleanup are the Drew Lewis Foundation and Springfield Community Land Trust.
After the cleanup, from 11 to 1, food will be served to volunteers and area residents.
You can register for a pickup and find more information here.
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