A citywide cleanup. What a great way to celebrate Earth Day. That’s the thinking of the folks who have organized the citywide cleanup for Saturday, April 22, which happens to be Earth Day.

The City of Williamsport Recreation Department is partnering with Lycoming College, Penn College, and Newberry Community Partnership to host a citywide spring cleanup event. This is an effort that is driven by local volunteers and college students to clean up local parks, walkways, and riverways of trash and debris. Not only will this event help to keep the city beautiful, but it also provides an opportunity for college students and the community to work together.

Sophia Stabley (Lycoming College), Jaycie Loud (Penn College), and Julia Hulslander (Newberry Community Partnership) have spearheaded city cleanup efforts in previous years, but this is the first year that all three organizations, along with the Recreation Department, are collaborating to cover areas stretching from Washington Boulevard to Williamsport Middle School.

Susquehanna Greenway Partnership and PickUp PA, a PennDot-sponsored program, will help provide supplies, resources, and extra volunteers if needed.

A huge thank you goes out to event sponsors Wegmans and Pepsi for providing bottled water and refreshments for volunteers.

“The spring cleanup this year is the first time there has a been collaborative effort that has brought various organizations together,” Lalitha Durlin, an aide for the Williamsport Recreation Department and a worker from AmeriCorps, told Webb Weekly.

She continued, “The purpose of the cleanup is to not only make sure our city stays clean but to engage the community with different organizations and the colleges that are present to create a harmony of working together for the betterment of Williamsport.”

“We expect that this will be a bigger and better cleanup than any other year because of the amazing collaboration that has been able to happen between Newberry Community Partnership, Penn College, Lycoming College, and Susquehanna Greenway Partnership. Not only will we be able to clean up trash within the city itself, but also will be able to clean up around our riverway, making the impact that much greater.”

If you are interested in participating in the cleanup event, please contact Newberry Community Partnership or the Williamsport Recreation Department.