Great American Cleanup of Mansfield Gearing Up for 2012

Volunteers are encouraged to register early for the fifth annual Great American Cleanup of Mansfield, scheduled for April 28 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

At last April’s cleanup, more than 750 Mansfield volunteers donated approximately 2,000 hours of time with an estimated economic value of $40,000. Several hundred bags of litter were removed from roadsides, parks, and school grounds.

“While the town is certainly in better shape than it was before our first cleanup five years ago, a quick look out your car window shows there is still much work to be done, ” said Neil Rhein, executive director of Keep Mansfield Beautiful, the group that organizes the event. “Some people still haven’t gotten the message that littering just isn’t cool. Therefore, we hope residents, businesses, and community groups will take a couple of hours out of their day on April 28th to make a real difference here in Mansfield.”

To offset the expense of running the annual cleanup, Keep Mansfield Beautiful is seeking financial support from residents and businesses who are concerned about the appearance of our town. To date, generous donations have already been received from Mansfield Fabricare, L.L. Bean, Samsonsite Corporation, Smith & Nephew, Harbor One Credit Union, Barbara Clark, Karl Clemmey, Cheng Du Restaurant, Miller Recycling, Mansfield Eye Center, Mansfield Bank, North Easton Savings Bank, Mansfield Music & Arts Society, Mix It UP!, Mansfield Youth Flag Football, Mansfield Deli, Mulkern Mechanical, AAA Pest Control, Rolf C. Hagen, Hanna Paper Recycling, and the Garden Lady.

Mansfield’s cleanup event is part of a nationwide effort by Keep America Beautiful, the nation's largest community improvement program. Last year more 3 million volunteers cleaned, beautified, and improved more than 33,000 communities in all 50 states. Activities included beautifying parks and recreation areas, cleaning seashores and waterways, handling recycling collections, picking up litter, planting trees and flowers, and conducting educational programs and litter-free events.

The deadline for registering for the Great American Cleanup of Mansfield is April 16. The first 500 people to register will receive free tee shirts. Volunteers can sign up at www.keepmansfieldbeautiful.com or at the Parks & Recreation Department at Mansfield Town Hall.

Keep Mansfield Beautiful’s mission is to empower residents, businesses, and government to make Mansfield a greener, cleaner place to live, work, and play. Learn more at www.keepmansfieldbeautiful.com.

Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. Learn more at www.kab.org.