Caring for Capitol Hill helps keep Cal Anderson beautiful year-round
Mayor Bruce Harrell’s initiative to encourage community projects with a “Day of Service” in the city is returning in 2023 on May 20th.
The mayor launched the initiative last year as part of this administration’s “One Seattle” theme, efforts that have ranged from increased encampment sweeps to increased graffiti removal spending as well as new public safety measures like hiring more park rangers.
“I love Seattle – and I know so many neighbors share that same passion for our city and want to be part of making it a better place,” Harrell said about the volunteer effort’s launch last year. 2022 Day of Service projects included Cal Anderson and Capitol Hill street clean-ups.
The initiative’s entry into the mayor’s beautification, sweeps, and anti-graffiti efforts comes as some community groups have grown melding “clean streets” efforts with politics.
Activist community groups like Safe Seattle have proliferated with social media efforts used as a platform for distributing discussions of public safety concerns and screeds against the Seattle City Council.
Others are simply trying to make their neighborhoods better. CHS reported here on Caring for Capitol Hill, a group that has focused its efforts on regular clean-ups of Cal Anderson Park, boosted by private support from developer Hunters Capital and public support from Seattle Public Utilities.
If you would like to get involved on May 20th, registration for the city’s 2023 event has opened for more than 3,000 volunteer shifts at over 110 events across the city.
There are a handful of Capitol Hill and Central District-area projects you can join in on — but with those filling up fast, what the area really needs are more people to step up and lead a new project.
There are dozens of parks across the area that could use a lift as well as public school campuses and busy areas that could use the love like E Olive Way or 23rd Ave. There are also more than a few streets and sidewalks that could use a clean-up.
Learn more about volunteering or hosting an event at seattle.gov.
$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE THIS SPRING
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Removing all tents, every single one. I’ll help too!
maybe a few of them can help clean up too?
Remove the dregs of the pathetic CHOP garden in Cal Anderson Park to make the park bowl accessible to all once again.
What is the “park bowl” you’re talking about? Also, I just saw a work party of over 20 people there last weekend, so it seems like a pretty active part of the park to me
P-patches are really popular, especially on Capitol Hill where most people don’t have yard space they can garden in. What’s the harm in having another small one inside Cal Anderson? Your degree of scorn seems unwarranted, unless you are actually upset about something other than the garden.
Aren’t parks supposed to be accessible to all? As I understand it, that piece of the park is only available to certain people. That isn’t how a public park is supposed to work. P patches are not parks, so they are a different story.
If we help will Bruce be out there painting over graffiti and picking up used needles too in the parks?
He will probably be in a big office smoking a cigar with Bezos. So no.
Thank you so much for covering and promoting volunteer work in Capitol Hill and around Seattle! Every block and neighborhood needs people to step up and lead new projects throughout the year 😀
Caring for Capitol Hill will be registering to host a Day of Service project soon, if anyone has any suggestions or good opportunities, let us know in the comments here or via [email protected]