Cleaning up the Neighborhood -- any thoughts?

[Katherine Brengle]

I was cleaning my yard a couple of days ago (I live in an apartment building, and no one ever cleans outside--the trash piles up and there is always litter on the lawn), and I had an idea--

I live in a neighborhood full of three-floor apartments. In the four or five blocks that make up my little corner of the neighborhood, there are probably one or two hundred people, including a lot of children, living right here in a few city blocks.

I was thinking about trying to put together a group to keep the neighborhood clean. We don't live in a wealthy area, and I know that people are busy and trying to get by, but I think we owe it to our kids to give them a nicer place to live and play.

So, I want to start a neighborhood clean-up association--I will pledge to supply the trash bags and work gloves if others in the neighborhood will pledge an hour or so a week to help clean up our streets and help some of the older folks keep their yards clean.

What do you think? I was thinking that to cap it all off, maybe once every 2 weeks or so we could have like a block party in the evening, when the weather is nice, and have tiki torches and all the kids could come out and play and we could give them sidewalk chalk and everyone could get to know their neighbors--so we know who is around when our kids are walking to school and playing outside. Plus it would be fun. I know musicians and other things, so I could definitely set up some entertainment and it would be a really good way for the neighborhood to open up a little.

Anyway, any thoughts?