Students armed with work gloves and trash bags took to the streets on Sunday for the Student AssociationOs second UB GettinO Dirty.
The program allows SA clubs to get involved in the community by cleaning up areas around Buffalo in need of urban upkeep.
While 140 students from SA clubs signed up to volunteer for the event, only approximately 40 showed Sunday, braving chilling rains and beating wind.
OThe idea is to give back to the community, and extend a helping hand wherever itOs needed,O said SA Community Relations Manager Amanda Toliver.
The weather and the low number of volunteers limited initial plans. Clubs in attendance included the Filipino-American Student Association (FASA), Urban Renewal Club, Black Student Union, Circle K and the Latin American Student Association.
OWe gave the clubs the option of working next weekend and the weekend after. IOm amazed thereOs anybody out here,O said Creighton Randall, director of external affairs for SA. OTheyOre troopers.O
Activities for the day stuck to simple trash pick-up, but plans in upcoming weeks of the event include tree planting, garden work and brush removal.
OThereOs plenty to do. We just wonOt get everything done today that we wanted,O Randall said.
The UB community teamed up this semester with sponsors from the university and the local area.
OOur two main sponsors were University Facilities, who donated a bunch of gloves, and Elbers Landscaping, who donated trash bags,O Randall said.
Efforts for the event this semester were focused on the University Heights area and the lower west side of Buffalo. Randall and Toliver received suggestions from the Gloria J. Parks Community Center and People United for Sustainable Housing and together they mapped out the locations that needed the most cleanup for the event.
OThey usually have a good idea what goes on in the community and we drive around and see whatOs needed,O Randall said.
Even though the clubs that volunteered in the event will receive community service credit as well as SA credit, the students who worked know that the cause at hand is greater and more meaningful.
Good weather prevailing, UB GettinO Dirty will piggyback on the Leadership Development CenterOs community-based cleanup program this coming weekend. Residents are being asked to come out and help take part in curb cleanup from nine to noon.
Last semesterOs UB GettinO Dirty took place in early October and was described by Randall as a Obig success.O Last semester was more effective, he said, because students worked in great weather. One event included 350 students. Unfortunately, only two weeks later, OctoberOs surprise storm made far more cleanup work for UB students.
Litter and brush on the streets and sidewalks was rampant among the streets because of debris from the blizzard. Volunteers quickly formed two-person teams to pick up and collect the trash as they trotted along the streets. Despite the rain, everyone seemed to enjoy the event and feel like they made a difference.
OItOs especially important because itOs hitting places right around the UB community. ItOs good to reach out,O said Jessica Kim, treasurer of FASA.
