THUNDER BAY – In the sunshine of today, community spirit came out to help clean up the Windsor, Junot, Picton and Blucher Street neighbourhood today. Helped by the Katimavik team, the Regional Multicultural Youth Council, Alpha Court, members of the Injured Workers Support Group, and supported by the Boys and Girls Club, and fueled by Eat Local Pizza, there were four truckloads of trash taken out of the neighbourhood. EcoSuperior offered door prizes as well as the garbage bags and gloves.
The volunteers cleaning up ranged from young children who cleared litter from the playground, to the Katimavik team who helped get some old tires and other larger garbage out of the neighbourhood. While the group was concerned that they might find discarded needles, Co-Chair Alana King was pleased to report that none were found.
After the work, the group got together to celebrate with music, door prizes, and great food including pepperoni pizza donated by Eat Local Pizza on May Street.
The Community Action Group in the neighbourhood has come together over the past several months. It has been guided by Steve Mantis and Alana King, and supported by the Alpha Court Windsor facility which has donated meeting space. The group has also been supported by the City of Thunder Bay.
Thursday’s barbeque was the result of co-ordinated planning that took place after a community survey that the group did with Katimavik doing the legwork.
What is encouraging about the group is there is growing interest from people in the neighbourhood to gather and do positive things together. The barbecue was manned by Munzeroy Neekan a teen in the area who loves to cook.
Brian Walker, who lives in the neighbourhood, and serves on the Community Action Group commented, “It was an excellent turn out, with much support from the neighborhood. I know on my street, where I was picking up garbage for the dump-run, I didn’t get too much garbage, but I got a lot of compliments for the work our group was doing”.
From Thursday there is already planning for a Canada Day gathering. Those decisions coming from the people in the neighbourhood starting to talk and engage with each other.
From the Regional Multicultural Youth Council the idea was shared of having similar projects start in the Limbrick and Academy neighbourhoods.
In a week filled with stresses, and flooding, seeing the smiles on the faces of the youth was good for all involved. Although it was hard to say who had the most fun.
James Murray