BALTIMORE, MD. (October 25, 2014) — Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake today kicked off the 15th annual Mayor’s Fall Cleanup on Reservoir Hill’s Whitelock Street— a street name that used to be synonymous with crime, grime and drugs. 
“Today, the Whitelock Street area is rapidly becoming a place of beauty and stability known for urban parks, urban farming and after-school tutoring projects,” Mayor Rawlings-Blake said. “I wanted to kick off this year’s Fall Cleanup at this location to illustrate what is possible when we have the will to make our communities cleaner, safer and healthier.”

During the Fall Cleanup kick-off, the Mayor planted a Bald Cypress tree at an urban park that is being built at the corner of Whitelock Street and Brookfield Avenue with the support of the Reservoir Hill Improvement Council. In addition, she highlighted the Whitelock Community Farm, which was started in 2010 when Reservoir Hill residents converted a vacant lot. Today, the farm operates a weekly farm stand providing the community with fresh produce. The Mayor also highlighted the work of the St. Francis Neighborhood Center’s Power Project. The Power Project provides after-school tutoring and enrichment programs to more than 40 area students.

Similar talents and dedication to building a better Baltimore can be seen in the hundreds of volunteers who participated in the Mayor’s Fall cleanup. “Today, I call on any community that has not already gotten on board to work to create healthier, cleaner places that can serve both the young and old. This can be something as simple as pledging to pick up litter on your block, or volunteering with Reading Partners to help City school children improve their reading skills,” Mayor Rawlings-Blake said. Reading Partners is a nonprofit organization that recruits and trains community volunteers to provide one-on-one literacy tutoring to students struggling with reading. 

This year, more than 130 community organizations participated in the
Fall Cleanup, which also encouraged residents to identify and report graffiti.
Mayor’s Cleanups started in March 2000 when, over a two-day period, volunteers
removed 2,500 tons of debris from their neighborhoods. Since then, nearly
20,524.48 tons of debris have been removed during the annual event.