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On Thursday, May 25, 2006, Groundwork Elizabeth’s team of Ameri-Corps NCCC volunteers, supported by the City of Elizabeth’s Clean Communities Program, worked along the shoreline along the Arthur Kill in the City’s Marina and surrounding park, cleaning and painting, and beautifying the City’s waterfront.
The Ameri-Corps Team has been in Elizabeth since April 24 th, and is due to depart on June 2 nd. A group of twelve young men and women from different cities of origin, the team can be immediately identified by their grey Ameri-Corps t-shirts emblazoned with the Ameri-Corp logo. Together, they have been working throughout the City, cleaning, landscaping, planting, volunteering, and educating residents about their mission, which is to engage the community to improve lives. Mayor Chris Bollwage has been extremely supportive of the team’s hard work to improve the City.
Councilman Manny Grova of the City’s 1 st Ward thanked Groundwork for applying to host the team. “I would like to extend my gratitude on behalf of the residents of my Ward to Ameri-Corps on today’s Seaport cleanup. When I heard the team was coming to Elizabeth, I asked Jonathan Phillips, the Executive Director of Groundwork Elizabeth for their help in targeting this widely used waterfront park.”
Surrounded by Councilman Grova, Groundwork Board members and advisors, Agnes Kristen of the Kristen Distributing Company, Gordon Haas of the Greater Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce, the Clean Communities Director for the City of Elizabeth Pat Vella, Phillips, and City employees Mike Downey and Phyllis Reich, the group cleaned the shoreline of 50 bags of debris including fencing and old car and truck tires. Some of the group then proceeded to paint benches in Veterans Memorial Park, adjacent to the Marina.
This is the third event that the team has worked on in the past 6 days. On Saturday, May 20 th, Ameri-Corps and Groundwork participated in a Nationwide event called “the Extreme Block Makeover Day”, in which the group cleaned, painted, and created a small pocket park in the area in front of the Casablanca Supermarket, located within the Elizabeth Avenue Special Improvement District. On Sunday, the group volunteered their services at the 3 rd Annual Tour de Elizabeth. They have also worked in Mattano Park in readying the park for an upcoming River Trail, in Wilson Park, in both of the City’s Special Improvement Districts, and in other City and County owned properties. “It is great that they have come to us”, said Kristen and Haas, “we laud their work”.
Graham Sayre, Ameri-Corps volunteer from Seattle Washington said "we have really done quite a bit here in the City in our short stay. We want the people to recognize that a little hard work goes a long way".
Executive Director Phillips is very pleased with the Ameri-Corps program, which for the next calendar year appears to be in jeopardy for a lack of funding. “We are extremely fortunate that the Groundwork organization has developed a partnership with an organization that shares our goals of improving lives by improving places. Talking to each of the twelve volunteers leaves you with a great feeling for the future of the country. Although they are leaving in a week, they have truly left their imprint here in Elizabeth”.
