 "Photo: Elise Manahan")
It was a cool Saturday morning and the Clifton neighborhood was silent except for the Center for Community Engagement in Stratford Heights.
Nearly 200 students arrived at the center by 8 a.m. and were greeted by new faces, new obstacles and free breakfast.
After breakfast, students separated into teams and broke out the trash bags.
Into the Streets is a community project organized by the CCE in which University of Cincinnati students and community residents get together for a common cause: beautifying the city.
“Into the Streets has been going on a lot longer than I’ve been here,” said Elizabeth Metz, project coordinator for the effort and has been with CCE for two years.
Students signed up for one of 15 groups, each with a different assignment. The groups went to their assigned locations all over the city, visiting parks, schools and the Clifton Cultural Arts Center to lend a helping a hand. One group cleaned windows; another was picking up trash and one group worked one-on-one with Hughes High School students to create an outdoor eating area. Another group was a voter registration team, making sure that Clifton residents are prepared for the upcoming election.
“We hope to help out with beautification and make an impact any way we can,” said Metz.
Two additional teams traveled around the city in search of graffiti. Armed with cameras, the students identified problem areas, took pictures and called the proper people to clean up the walls, said Metz.
“I’ve noticed a lot more graffiti around campus coming back from co-op,” said Heather McIntyre, a fourth-year fashion design student. “It really brings down the value. I’ve never noticed it so much.”
Aside from the community service hours, two free meals and a free T-shirt, the students had an even bigger incentive to get out of bed before noon.
“It sounded like a cool way to do community service and to meet new people,” McIntyre said.
Before leaving the Center, students mingled with one another and even met some residents who also wanted to help give back.
“We want to get some of this junk cleaned up,” said Linda Ziegler, a member of the Clifton Heights, University Heights and Farview Heights Neighborhood Association.
CUFNA has participated with the students and Into the Streets for the last couple of years.
“We want to get the folks to understand the community they live in and get them to learn some things they didn’t,” Ziegler said.
After breakfast, the students prepared to break into the streets donning their free T-shirts. On the back; a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”
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