KIB's Great Indy Cleanup in Christian Park

MEDIA ALERT
Contact:
Ashley Haynes, Director of Marketing
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful
248-760-6995
ahaynes@kibi.org

Emily Koschnick, Deputy Communications Director
Office of Mayor Joe Hogsett – City of Indianapolis
(317) 995-3289
emily.koschnick@indy.gov

My Christian Park Neighborhood to “Spring Clean” with the Help of Over 550 Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Volunteers this Saturday.
KIB, City of Indianapolis to host annual April Great Indy Cleanup focus event with community volunteers on Saturday to plant trees, clean, and beautify the neighborhood around Christian Park

INDIANAPOLIS – (April 27, 2017) Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIB) will host over 550 volunteers this Saturday in the Christian Park neighborhood as part of the Great Indy Cleanup. Volunteers will join neighbors in street cleanups, park and greenspace plantings, and planting 87.

WHEN: Saturday, April 27, 2019; 8:30 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
WHERE: Christian Park Family Center| 4200 English Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46201 (see map)
Volunteers will be separated into 12 groups and disperse to project sites
SPEAKERS: Mayor Joe Hogsett will address and thank volunteers during the opening celebration at 8:45 A.M.
VISUALS: Over 550 volunteers will meet for breakfast and project registration at 8:00 A.M. outside the Christian Park Family Center. Mayor Hogsett will greet and address volunteers around 8:45 A.M., then volunteers will collect tools and supplies and branch out into the community to begin projects by 9:15 A.M. Projects will vary by location and last until roughly 12:00 P.M.

“Every year, during the Great Indy Cleanup, the Indianapolis community is at its best: working together to make our city cleaner, greener, and more beautiful,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “I am proud to once again join in the important work of investing in our neighborhoods, this year in Christian Park, our ‘Neighborhood of the Month’ for April. On behalf of a grateful city, I applaud the efforts of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful volunteers and the many committed residents who call Indianapolis home.”

A citywide effort to beautify and strengthen our communities, the Great Indy Cleanup is a partnership between KIB and the City of Indianapolis. Last year, nearly 8,000 volunteers collected 1.2 million pounds of litter through 333 community cleanups. From April through October, residents can apply for a community cleanup that KIB will support with cleaning supplies, Department of Public Works dumpsters and other resources.

The Great Indy Cleanup is made possible by generous donations from the City of Indianapolis, Kroger, Republic Services, South Side Landfill, and Clif Bar Baking Company. For more information on KIB’s efforts to beautify the city, or to learn how you can help, please visit us at www.greatindycleanup.com.

About Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIB)
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization with a mission to engage diverse communities to create vibrant public places, helping people and nature thrive. Annually, KIB works with nearly 20,000 volunteers on nearly 900 community projects. To learn more, visit www.kibi.org or follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @kibiorg.

About Christian Park Neighborhood
Located on the city’s southeast side between Washington Street, Sherman Drive and Lexington and Emerson avenues, Christian Park was once a large plot of land almost entirely owned by the Christian family, prominent contractors in Indianapolis who built several landmarks, including Benjamin Harrison’s home. The park itself was donated to the City of Indianapolis by Dr. Wilmer F. Christian Jr. in 1921. The 40-acre gift was named in honor of his mother, Margaret Christian. The rest of their property was not mapped for development until 1923.

Home construction in Christian Park began in 1925, when 61 homes were built. An additional 261 homes were built during the 1920s, but construction and expansion in the area slowed significantly during the Great Depression. Development and expansion would resume in the mid-1930’s. Today, the neighborhood is seeing growth again with new neighbors. The new neighbors are partnering with longtime residents to improve the quality of life in the area. [source: City of Indianapolis, Neighborhood of the Month program]

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