Members of the Palisades High School Ambassadors helped pick up trash around town.
Pacific Palisades is a whole lot cleaner thanks to numerous volunteers, and especially Robin Weitz, who organized the inaugural community cleanup on Saturday morning.
“We had a great turnout,” Weitz said, noting that volunteers gathered at the Village Green before going out into the streets and parks. “Kim Kedeshian [K’s Bakery] made and donated oatmeal raisin cookies and I had munchkins from Dunkin Donuts.”
Village Green Board members Bob and Marge Gold set up a table, and the park served as a central point for the volunteers.
Weitz said that more than 30 PaliHi Ambassadors, students from Palisades High School who specifically work with the community, returned shopping carts to markets and filled numerous trash bags.
“We had kids from Paul Revere Middle School, too,” Weitz said, noting that for many it was a family affair. “Katherine Saslow joined with her two sons.”
At least 30 other volunteers, such as residents Rene and Matt Rodman, cleaned the area around Palisades Elementary.
Shana Morrison and Ameila Halpin worked in the Marquez area. “Noah Fleishman, from Councilman Mike Bonin’s office, cleaned the alley between Swarthmore and Via de la Paz and at Mt. Holyoke,” Weitz said. “Two friends made a date and cleaned up Sunset between Carey and Drummond.”
Weitz’s husband, Ted, helped clear trash from along Albright, and Alphabet Street resident Sue Kohn collected trash from around the library and the park’s baseball diamond.
Other volunteers tackled Los Liones Drive, which leads to the state park that is routinely packed with hikers on weekends. The sidewalks along Temescal Canyon Park were also pronounced “super clean.”
“Overall, we filled 40 large bags of trash,” Weitz said. “A big thanks to CVS, who allowed us to use their trash bin.” Volunteers were also asked to take trash home for their black containers.
“It was a wonderful day of neighbors coming together,” said Weitz (a former president of the Woman’s Club), who noted there are still areas to clean, including bus benches along Sunset, the SRF Shrine perimeter, and areas in town without sidewalks. “I was happy with the turnout. I would do it again and know many of those that participated would like to do it again.”
“Everyone had a smile,” Weitz said, who also gave a shout out to resident Cindy Kirven (chair of the Palisades Forestry Committee), who was the first to sign up for the cleanup.
CTN joins to give a big thanks to all the volunteers who joined this much-needed project.
Shana Morrison and Amelia Halpin picked up trash in the Marquez area during the first annual Pacific Palisades Cleanup Day.
What an awesome community project and a great way to get our youth and families involved in protecting our environment. PPRA would be glad to participate and be one of the sponsors next time around. Our community is only as great as we chose to make it be. Thank you Robin Weitz for leading the way!