Nearly 170 volunteers participate in Spring Spruce UP DOWNtown
Nearly 170 volunteers took time to invest in the beautification of Downtown Kalamazoo last Thursday, May 23, during the Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership’s first annual Spring Spruce UP DOWNtown.
Volunteers signed up for morning and afternoon shifts to tackle specific tasks and key projects throughout the Downtown, including picking up trash, planting flowers, mulching, weeding, pruning, painting, and power washing. Volunteers spent hours working in Downtown’s prime public spaces, including planting and landscaping along Kalamazoo Mall, painting and landscaping in the Arcadia Creek Festival Place, and weeding and mulching along Bates Alley.
A total of 169 volunteers completed an aggregate of 612 hours of work across over the course of the day, covering more than 80 blocks of Downtown streets. Accomplishments included:
- 768 flowers and grasses planted
- 40 planters and garden beds filled
- 30 cubic yards of mulch distributed
- 40lbs of grass seed planted
- Newly painted playground at the Arcadia Creek Festival Place
- More than 200 buckets of trash collected along more than 80 blocks of street
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see the community come out and work together toward a common purpose,” Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership President Andrew Haan said. “Without a doubt, the dedication of our volunteers is what made this event a huge success. Community members from in and around the Downtown pitched in to pick up trash, paint, trim plants, and plant flowers to give the Downtown new vibrancy after winter. Volunteers really gave it their all, and we are fortunate to be part of a community that brings their best effort to make Downtown shine.”
The Partnership wants to thank all of the businesses, community organizations, and individuals that signed up to participate in last week’s event. A total of 25 businesses and community organizations brought out teams to invest sweat equity into Downtown, including the following:
- AVB
- Bronson Corporate Communications
- Catalyst
- Central City Parking
- City of Kalamazoo
- Communities In Schools
- Discover Kalamazoo
- Eckert Wordell
- Encore Publications
- Gazelle Sports
- Greenleaf Hospitality Group
- HMS Companies Inc.
- Jaqua Realtors
- Kalamazoo College
- Lewis, Reed & Allen, P.C.
- LightSpot, LLC
- Miller-Davis Company
- MRC Industries
- Plazacorp Realty Advisors, Inc.
- Southwest Michigan First
- Teel Jewelers
- The Foundry
- TowerPinkster
- Tudor House Tea and Spice
- United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region
For more opportunities to volunteer, individuals, businesses and organizations can sign up for the Downtown Developments newsletter or contact our office at 269-344-0795.
About Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership
Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership is a private, non-profit organization that works with both the public and private sectors in preserving and enhancing the economic health of Kalamazoo’s downtown area and, in turn, the Kalamazoo community. In conjunction with its affiliate organizations, it manages a full range of activities that include capital improvement projects, business development and recruitment programs, image marketing and event planning in order to establish Downtown Kalamazoo as an accessible, diverse, green, progressive and vibrant urban center. For more information, visit downtownkalamazoo.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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