Dayton Inspires partners with UD students to clean up West Dayton neighborhood

Dayton Inspires will complete their fourth clean-up project on April 8 on the west side of Dayton.

The grassroots volunteer organization, which focuses on inspiring community and city pride, has partnered with University of Dayton service fraternity Gamma Epsilon Lambda (GEL) to clean a six-block area in the Wright-Dunbar neighborhood.

GEL’s 150 student members will work in teams to paint the houses and pick up trash.

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“We recognize that we are not just members of UD,” said Kevin Shanahan, Gamma Epsilon Lambda’s President. “We are so grateful to be part of such a great event.”

This is the fourth clean-up project spearheaded by Dayton Inspires to maintain beauty in the city, but this event marks the first time that GEL has partnered with them.

The fraternity has worked primarily with underprivileged children, food banks and tutoring. This is the first large-scale clean-up the organization has taken part in.

The project will involve painting 14 vacant houses, cleaning up four vacant lots and cleaning four illegal dumping zones. It is estimated that 10 tons of trash will be removed from this area. 

Below is a map of the clean-up sites on April 8.

“Getting students involved in a community that they might never see is a very humbling experience,” said Matthew Sliver, who oversees Dayton Inspires. Sliver is also the founder and CEO of Catapult Creative.

“Everyone needs a little boost, and the previous cleanups have been a tremendous success with restoring dignity back to our neighborhoods.”

The mission of the Dayton Inspires campaign is to encourage people to engage with their communities and appreciate their city.

“They have empowered those in the community to continue to take pride in their neighborhood and keep Dayton clean,” Sliver continued.