A Dallas-based nonprofit is set to do its part for World Cleanup Day on Saturday.
World Cleanup Day is a day in which millions of volunteers, government entities, and non-profit organizations across 197 countries work to clean up their communities every third Saturday of September.
This year in Dallas, a World Cleanup Day event is being hosted by local nonprofit Not My Son. From 10:00 a.m. to noon, Not My Son will “spread love to our environment and community members.”
The event will consist of cleaning the community, feeding the homeless, and providing care packages to those in need. Executive Director Tramonica Brown told The Dallas Express that Not My Son has hosted cleanup events every year since 2020 and makes an effort to involve the community as much as possible.
“It is truly a community event,” she said. “No one person is left out. … We’ve had business owners, we’ve had community members … we even have little ones [come out]. … We all really truly come together. That way, we’re able to do one great cleanup with a positive message of ‘This is what community looks like.'”
“It’s all about community,” she added. “It’s all about giving back.”
Brown explained that the group aims to get local youth involved to teach them how to take care of their community.
“We’re also developing community impact through the students,” she said. “Teaching them, ‘This is my school, and I want to keep it clean.”
Brown said such cleanups have a positive impact on South Dallas every year. She said that she wishes the City of Dallas Code Compliance Department would do a better job of collaborating with nonprofits and community members in keeping Dallas clean.
“I feel like there’s always room for improvement,” she said. “I would love for them to work more with nonprofits. … When the City sees a problem, they try to step in front of it and fix it themselves rather than work with the people who already laid the groundwork.”
“We all know code enforcement has been very lackluster for years,” she continued, adding that nonprofits are better at gaining people’s trust and motivating members of the community to get involved.
Ultimately, Brown maintained a positive attitude about her experience working alongside the City, other organizations, and the community to make Dallas a cleaner place to live.
“We’re cleaning up more than just a piece of trash. We’re cleaning up our community. We’re cleaning up to initiate healthy lifestyles, to build exposure to a community that has been considered lackluster for years, [and] to show them that this is the true beauty of Dallas and the diamond in the rough,” she said.
“We have a good time. It’s important to show the wins,” she added. “World Cleanup [Day] is important because we get to show our wins.”
Volunteers who wish to help can register for the event here. Participants will meet for the cleanup at 9:30 a.m. at RL’s Blues Palace.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Dallas has ranked among the top 10 dirtiest cities in the United States and among the most pest-infested cities in the nation.
Dallas’ cleanliness has become a growing concern among residents, with a satisfaction survey conducted by the City of Dallas suggesting residents think the municipality is failing to keep its streets clean.
