Newburgh – Local organizations rallied together with Newburgh residents Saturday evening for the Newburgh Clean Green Cleanup. The evening began with a kick-off celebration on the corner of Broadway and Liberty Street, followed by a cleanup of city sidewalks. Donors provided gloves, rakes, shovels, and snacks for participants. Participants included agencies, families, Newburgh Police, and Newburgh Mayor Judy Kennedy.

The event was organized by the Newburgh Action Lab, a collection of local agencies who meet regularly to discuss the City’s needs. The Lab is a sub-group of The Community, Opportunity, Reinvestment (CORe), an initiative through the Governor’s office to better align state support with local need. Support goes to successful community-based efforts that bring measurable and sustainable improvement to communities. The CORe organizers do key alignment work so residents, community workers and organizations can better serve residents.

Future projects to benefit the City are in the works. The Action Lab’s goal is to engage the city residents, identify community leaders, and then let them take the lead on projects.

Ariel Tavares, RECAP’s Newburgh Services Coordinator, was the team leader for this project. He meets regularly with the Action Lab and a street cleanup idea came up earlier this year. He noted the experience was particularly important for the youth who participated. “Getting the kids involved was vital to what we’re trying to do. We’re creating that culture of taking care of your community and your neighbors. They were having fun and I’m confident that’s going to stay with them and help the community In the long run.”