NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Volunteers in Newport News’ Aqueduct Apartments got together Saturday to give the neighborhood a little extra attention.
Members of the nonprofit group Ketchmore Kids organized a community clean-up.
“Everybody should be able to come out of the house and see a clean community," the group's program manager Troy Ketchmore said. "It ain’t no pointing fingers. We do what we do. It starts with us.”
This event marks the start of the second annual Ketchmore Kids weekend.
Khalid Karim, a member of the Washington D.C. group "Lessons Learned," said community clean-ups like this one are meant to keep neighborhoods clean and safe and inspire people who live here to take pride in their community.
“When you look better, you feel better," Karim said. "The neighborhood is a reflection of our spirit and what’s going on in our minds and our homes. If we can improve the neighborhood, we can improve the spirit. If we can improve the spirit, we can improve our neighborhood.”
The clean up started at 9 a.m. People of all ages grabbed trash bags and got to work.
Kenneth Hodges, director of the Aqueduct Boys & Girls Club, was among the volunteers who helped clean.
“It’s important because this community, they need love," Hodges said.
Newport News police chief Steve Drew and other officers from the force helped volunteers with the cleanup.
“When a community comes out and they take pride in where they live, it restores pride in who they are and where they’re at. They take ownership," Drew said. "Because the only way a neighborhood or a community or a city is going to improve is if the people - in that city, in that community, in that individual neighborhood – work together."
The chief said collaborative efforts like this one with grassroots organizations go a long way in the ongoing fight against crime.
“The Aqueduct Apartments complex is a location we’ve had some issues with in the past. And they are seeing a big crime reduction – well over 10 to 15 percent reduction this year," he said.
After cleaning at Aqueduct Apartments, volunteers also cleaned up at The Grand Hampton at Langley apartments.
Volunteers say enhancing neighborhoods is a way to encourage residents to feel good about where they live.
“If you come outside and it’s really dirty, your psyche will be different," said Christopher Moore of the group, Bagz 4 Da Kids. "If it’s clean, it gives you a better mindset.”
Sunday, Ketchmore Kids is hosting a Family Day at King-Lincoln Park in Newport News. It starts at 1 p.m. and ends at sunset. There will be food, games, music and vendors.