Westwood Community Clean-Up An Inspiring Success

In a scene that could have been lifted from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Denver Democrats rolled up their sleeves last Friday and got to work in an inspiring clean-up project in West Denver, proving the work we're not "obliged" to do is often the most satisfying.

The project perfectly captured the essence of the Democratic Party of Denver’s goal of “investing in the future,” taking responsibility for our communities by putting hard work in to improve them, literally at the “grassroots” level, and planting the seeds for future stewardship with the residents of the neighborhood.

Democrats from around the city and from within House District 2 gathered in the greenway at the intersection of W. Kentucky Avenue and S. Patton Court to rake and pick up trash, pull weeds, clear overgrown fence lines, remove graffiti from the alleys in the neighborhood, and inform the community about options to register for free and timely graffiti removal with the City and County of Denver’s Graffiti Program.

“For too long people have forgotten about the great neighborhoods of West Denver, and thanks to the hard work of people like Councilman Paul Lopez, his staff, Andrea Merida, Cecilia Flores, and all of you, we are starting to see the revival of West Denver,”  State Representative Mark Ferrandino said in a note to those participating in the clean-up.  “Tonight is an important step in cleaning up the streets of Westwood.  In our democracy it is essential that we work together to build community and fight for our shared interests and aspirations.  That is what you are doing tonight, and I thank you so much for your work.”

Ferrandino was out of town during the clean-up, but House District 2B Captain Andrea Merida and Co-Captain Cecilia Flores were there to coordinate the effort in their own sub-district, along with representatives from House Districts 1, 3, and 4.

The most important element in the Friday evening volunteer effort was engaging the neighborhood in the project and inspiring them to continue to care for their greenway and their community.  There was no better indication that this “investment in the future” was paying off than in the dedication of a handful of young children eagerly participating in the clean-up and anxiously looking forward to an opportunity to do more.

It looked like a scene out of Tom Sawyer as neighborhood youth aged 9-12 saw the volunteers cleaning graffiti off the public dumpsters and utility posts in the alleys and enthusiastically requested a can of paint to work on the graffiti on their own private fences and garages.

“On behalf of the hardworking and proud residents of [City Council] District 3, muchisimas gracias (thank you very much) for your volunteerism and
service--and most of all, your empowerment in the Westwood community,” City Councilman Paul Lopez wrote to the participants.

The efforts are part of a targeted initiative in Denver’s Westwood district to raise awareness of the Democratic Party of Denver’s presence in the community, and the Party leadership from House Sub-districts 1B, 2B, and 4B has created the West Denver Democratic Coalition (WDDC) to spearhead community activity.

The WDDC has identified precincts in Westwood that could use support in building community awareness and responsibility, and those precincts include areas that have traditionally demonstrated relatively low voter turnout and have had trouble finding representatives to take leadership in the role of Precinct Committee Persons.
 
“As Democrats, we often spend so much time asking for people’s votes, donations, and support that we run out of time to show our commitment to service for our community,” wrote Cindy Lowery, Chair of the Democratic Party of Denver, in yet another note honoring the participants.  “Tonight you have the opportunity to give back to your community through service and show everyone that Democrats are not just committed to getting votes, but that we follow through by serving the community’s needs.  Your work on a Friday night is an inspiration and model for the county party.”

The inspiration continues to spread, both as a result of the Westwood clean-up and as a result of other service-oriented initiatives through the city and across the nation, most notably the Obama administration’s “United We Serve Summer,” encouraging service projects as a way of tapping the desire to make meaningful contributions to one’s community.

The Democratic Party of Denver has another community clean-up project planned for the Regis neighborhood on July 11, with the House District 4 Democrats joining forces with Councilman Rick Garcia, the City of Denver’s Solid Waste Management program, Berkeley Regis United Neighbors, Regis University, and Denver Partners Against Graffiti.