More Than One Way To Clean Up A Neighborhood

Ada Davis has been robbed twice in the last few years.

Her good friends - neighbors she used to have tea with - all have died.

Crime has crept into her community, she said. Slashed tires, drug deals and vandalism are nothing new.

But instead of packing and leaving her Hillyard neighborhood, the 78-year-old wants to stay and make it better.

“This is home,” said Davis, who moved into her Stone Avenue house 49 years ago. “I’m fighting to keep it.”

On Saturday, the Newfoundland native was among 20 volunteers who gathered tree limbs that were downed by winter storms. They spent the day hauling broken branches in their trucks and vans before throwing them into a chipper for dumping.

Since October, community cleanup efforts have become commonplace in this six-block area around Bemiss Elementary School. Volunteers like Davis immediately got to work after receiving a $15,000 grant last year from SAFECO insurance as part of a new neighbor-to-neighbor project.

Dressed in thick winter clothing with her navy blue beret, Davis picked up leaves and branches Saturday with her mitten-clad hands. She was accompanied by her nextdoor neighbor and best friend, 42-year-old Laurie Bennett.

Together, they’re known in this neighborhood as the dynamic duo.

You’ll find them picking up litter on the streets. They knock on doors and pass out fliers. If there’s a community meeting, count on them to be there.

“Us girls need to take care of the neighborhood,” Bennett said, putting her arm around Davis. “People here need to feel safe.”

Change hasn’t happened overnight.

Some houses in this 128-home neighborhood are falling apart - broken windows, dry, yellow lawns, garbage and old toys strewn all over the yards.

Every two blocks or so, there’s an old Pinto or Buick on concrete blocks, parked for years in someone’s back yard.

But people like Davis and Bennett are making a difference, said David Vorpahl, an Americorps Vista volunteer at the Northeast Community Center who works with the neighborhood.

“They’re a wonderful pair of ladies who are concerned about the people and community,” he said.

Along with other volunteers, they’ve managed to put smoke detectors in some of the houses and streetlights in the dirt alleys. They’ve also installed locks on some of the homes.

“Those two (Davis and Bennett) are always together and doing things to help,” said Carol Page, who grew up in the area. “They’re watching out for the neighbors.”

, DataTimes