News

Clean Sweep 2018: Revitalizing St. Louis Neighborhoods

By July 31, 2018No Comments

S. M. Wilson recently joined volunteers with Clean Sweep 2018 at the Penrose and Kingsway East neighborhoods to bring new life to areas in the city challenged with condemned homes and overgrown lots.

Launched by Better Family Life in 2017, Clean Sweep is a neighborhood clean-up initiative that brings together local residents, volunteers from throughout the region, City of St. Louis departments and area construction companies to help revitalize certain parts of the city and St. Louis County.

S. M. Wilson CEO, Scott Wilson, says, “Our office is located in the City of St. Louis. We believe in it. We have for a long time. It makes me feel great to be a part of this initiative.”

As a staple in the St. Louis metropolitan area since 1921, S. M. Wilson makes every effort to enrich our community and the communities we work in around the country. On July 28, a group of 20 Wilsonites and their families came out to support the program, helping to knock down vacant buildings and pick up trash and large debris.

Vice President for Community Life at Better Family Life, James Clark, says, “It brings the self-esteem. It makes people more excited about life. It brings hope back into neighborhoods.”

The program hopes to provide inner-city residents with an annual event that ignites and maintains momentum for neighborhood revitalization and engages a broad base of volunteers who promote real regional unity.

The clean-up events take place over four Saturdays throughout the summer. So far, the monthly events have demolished 23 structures and cleared over 50 trees helping to revitalize and strengthen neighborhoods. 

For more information on Clean Sweep 2018, visit betterfamilylife.org.