Volunteers participate in 'Beautify East Cleveland Day'

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio - East Cleveland turned eyesores into educational opportunities on Thursday, August 23, 2012. The city officially declared it "Beautify East Cleveland Day."

A local non-profit known as the Windermere Renaissance led the efforts to improve several properties near Forest Hill Boulevard and Rocksboro.

They rounded up about a dozen student volunteers from Case Western Reserve University to tackle the overgrown landscaping outside abandoned homes.

"It's a joy to see them come out, finishing some of the job, making it look nice," said East Cleveland resident Afi-Nur. "Appearance is going to be nice for the people around here, but the safety is number one."

The Windermere Renaissance is planning another clean up day on Saturday, September 1, 2012. Email Patricia Blochowiak MD for more information.

NewsChannel 5 is making a commitment to Building Better Neighborhoods in northeast Ohio.

As a station, we've chosen to adopt five neighborhoods in five different areas, including: Cleveland's east side,  Cleveland's west side, Elyria, Painesville and the Akron area.

Over the next few weeks, we will be working with city officials to identify what types of needs each neighborhood has, whether it is trash clean up, pulling weeds, landscaping, painting, demolishing buildings, building parks or creating community gardens.

We are encouraging residents, community members, volunteers and non-profits to lend a hand however they can.

Clean Up Day Calendar:

Cleveland's East Side
Date: Friday, August 17, 2012
Time: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Location: 1400 Block of East 116th Street
Volunteers needed for: trash clean up, weeding, landscaping and spot painting
Meet: NewsChannel 5 Anchor Leon Bibb and Troubleshooter Joe Pagonakis

Painesville
Date: Friday, September 21, 2012
Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Location: Bank Street and State Street (Historic District)
Volunteers needed for: building a community park (mulching, landscaping, building paths, installing fences, etc.)
Meet: NewsChannel 5 Anchor Danita Harris and Reporter Stephanie Ramirez

Elyria
Date: Friday, September 28, 2012
Location: South Maple Street, Gates Avenue and Oberlin Road
Volunteers neede for: Painting, landscaping and helping with minor home and porch repairs.
Meet: NewsChannel 5 Anchor Chris Flanagan and Troubleshooter Joe Pagonakis

Akron
Date: Friday, October 12, 2012
Volunteers needed for: "Safe at Home" project, which helps keep seniors (mainly) in their homes, by installing grab bars, handrails, repairing/replacing stairs, improving lighting, plumbing, etc.
Meet: NewsChannel 5 Anchor Lee Jordan and Reporter Bob Jones

Cleveland's West Side
Date: Friday, October 19, 2012
Location: West 46th Street and West 52nd Street
Meet: NewsChannel 5 Anchor Chris Flanagan and Troubleshooter Joe Pagonakis