Title
WHEREAS, a meeting between the United Jewish Federations' Community and Public Affairs Council and the Urban League to discuss a litter cleanup in two neighborhoods resulted in a partnership between the Squirrel Hill and the Homewood communities ; and,
WHEREAS, the Homewood Squirrel Hill Reddup Coalition was established in the summer of 2006 with its first cleanup weekend taking place on September 18 and 19, 2006, engaging 300 volunteers; and,
WHEREAS, the Reddup Coalition Weekend began as a two neighborhood program focused on litter cleanup guided by the principles of Collecting (litter) and Connecting (establishing relationships) as Squirrel Hill, a predominately white, Jewish community partnered with Homewood, a predominately black, Christian community to plan and carry out a litter cleanup, culminating in a volunteer thank you picnic; and,
WHEREAS, the initial Reddup Coalition has now grown to include four communities, businesses, diverse and active grass roots organizations, non-profit agencies and with full participation by the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works, the Mayor's Office, and the offices of Council President Doug Shields and Council Members Bill Peduto and Twanda Carlisle ; and,
WHEREAS, the United Jewish Federation won the nation's top award in Jewish community relations when it accepted the Program Excellence Award in Washington , D.C, in February for furthering the causes of environmentalism, Black-Jewish relations, interfaith relations and neighborhood revitalization; and,
WHEREAS, the Reddup Coalition, renamed the Homewood Squirrel Hill Point Breeze Reddup Coalition, will conduct its second annual neighborhood cleanup on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 27-29, 2007, with participation from the schools and businesses on Friday, the Homewood/ Point Breeze cleanup on Saturday and the Squirrel Hill cleanup on Sunday with a Volunteer Picnic on Sunday; and,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize Boris Weinstein of the United Jewish Federation and Aliyah Durham of the Eastside Community Collaborative who serve as chairs of this year's Cleanup and without whose vision and direction the project would not have grown and achieved such great success; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declares April 28 and 29, 2007, to be Homewood Squirrel Hill Point Breeze Reddup Cleanup Days in the City of Pittsburgh.