Fifteen young men, embracing the afterglow of Earth Day 2011, grabbed gloves, trash bags, shovels, grabbers and an assortment of other tools they used on April 30 to clean up 11 city blocks of sidewalks and curbs along South Salina Street in Syracuse. For nearly three hours, they corralled, cornered, jabbed and stabbed, as well as lowered a hand or two to retrieve empty soda cans and other leftovers from a particularly harsh winter. Dozen of bags of trash were collected in the community most of them call home.
The young volunteers, who ranged in age from 12 to 19, are participants in the “Manhood Training Academy,” a two-year-old mentoring program sponsored by 100 Black Men of Syracuse, Inc. The idea for the cleanup project came from the young men themselves during a recent session held at the South Side Innovation Center. The group meets at SSIC every other Saturday morning with volunteer mentors, members of 100 Black Men of Syracuse.
As passersby witnessed the enthusiasm displayed by the young men during the clean-up, some were moved to give the young men words of encouragement, such as “God will reward you for what you’re doing” and “This is what should be on the front page of the newspaper.”
“These young men are certainly to be commended for initiating this community project on their own and then following through with it,” said Vincent Love, 100 Black Men of Syracuse president. “While we often think of adults as role models, these young men are role models, too, especially for their peers.”
100 Black Men of Syracuse covered the associated costs of the clean-up project, provided supervision and served a cookout lunch for the young volunteers. For more information about the 100 Black Men of Syracuse mentoring programs, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (315) 443-8749.
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