Just a few days before Earth Day, Westown Association aims to rally residents, employees and stakeholders to spend part of the day collecting litter throughout the neighborhood.
The event, called "Team Up to Clean Up," is scheduled for Saturday, April 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cleanup will focus on 40 city blocks within Westown's boundaries from McKinley Avenue to St. Paul Avenue and the Milwaukee River to 10th Street.
To register as a team of volunteers, please email events@westown.org. To make a donation, go here.
The team that raises the most donations will receive tickets to Westown’s VIP party during the "Halfway to St. Patrick's Day" Parade scheduled for Saturday, September 25. Additionally, four randomly selected donors will win a $50 gift card supporting a Westown business.
Westown Association produces downtown events such as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Westown Farmers’ Market and River Rhythms concert series, all of which were canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These events generate 50 percent of the organization’s revenue, and with the expected slow return of large public gatherings in 2021, Westown Association is seeking new ways to raise funds to support the organization’s operations.
“We believe this is a great opportunity to activate the neighborhood while maintaining a safe social distance,” said Stacie Callies, Executive Director of Westown Association.“Not only will your participation make the neighborhood more beautiful, but it will also help us continue our important mission.”
A new public art installation will also be unveiled during the Team Up to Clean Up event. In partnership with New Land Enterprises, Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 has commissioned Chicago-based artist Matthew Hoffman to install his “You Are Beautiful” project on a plywood wall at 834 N. Plankinton Ave.
The mural installation starts on Friday, April 16 and will conclude during the event.
“'You Are Beautiful' is a necessary statement right now and one that evokes a strong emotional connection, so much so that you may find yourself going out of your way to regularly pass the mural,” says Richard Hawkins, Development & Strategy Director of New Land Enterprises. “It’s a joy to share that kind of art with our beautiful city and its beautiful people.”
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
