Cleaning Up: One game at a time

WANTED: Eager volunteers who don’t mind getting a little dirty.

The Community Relations Coalition is hosting a neighborhood cleanup Sunday, following the cross-state rivalry football matchup between the Spartans and the Wolverines Saturday.

This is the third this year, where the off-campus neighborhoods of East Lansing will be cleaned of the debris that remains after Michigan State University football games. The fourth will be held on Nov. 9.

The cleanups are only held in East Lansing for the fall football season, with the aim of maintaining peace by preventing conflicts from arising between the students and residents of the area.

“We live in close proximity to one another so it is important to take pride in the appearance of our neighborhoods, particularly when it comes to trash littering sidewalks and lawns,” said Leslie Armell, coordinator.

The coalition is run by a board of community members, city officials and MSU officials and is staffed by 10 MSU undergraduate interns, supervised by a graduate assistant and administrative coordinator.

Arnell expects between 40 and 60 individuals this Sunday.  The cleanup group will meet at 10:30 a.m. in the parking lot behind the East Lansing Police Department, 409 Park Lane.

Spartans may be doing the clean up with a sense of victory from beating their blue and yellow opponent. Nonetheless, if MSU is defeated by the Wolverines, the community can still gather for a good cause.

Volunteers can sign up at GiveGab.com.

“The purpose of the neighborhood cleanups is to build positive relationships between students and permanent residents in the city of East Lansing,” said Arnell.

The coalition also partners with the MSU homecoming, the Great Pumpkin Walk, the Winter Glow and the April Taste of East Lansing, where their 10 interns actively reach out into the community.