Volunteers clean up Seven Corners

Volunteers pick up lots of trash from the Willston Center parking lot.

About 40 children and adults gathered at the Willston Multicultural Center Saturday morning for a Seven Corners Cleanup event.

The volunteers included members of the Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club; kids, parents, and staff from the after-school program that meets at the Willston Center; members of Arlington Community Church, which partners with the after-school program; local residents; and people from other organizations based at the center.

Armed with gloves, orange vests, and trash bags, they picked up litter on the grounds of the Willston Center and surrounding streets. Among their finds: empty whiskey bottles, beer and soda cans, food wrappers, an audiocassette, a crab leg, and a small case with a drivers license and several credit cards.

From the left: Mari-Paz, Juan, and Janet, students at Beech Tree Elementary School who attend an after-school program at the Willston Center.

The clean-up is part of a larger Seven Corners revitalization, beautification, and community engagement effort, said organizer Nancy Vorona, a member of the board of the Bailey’s Crossroads Seven Corners Revitalization Corporation (BC7RC).

The BC7RC had received a $2,765 Neighborhood Enhancement Partnership Program (NEPP) grant from Fairfax County to create a cohesive community and engage residents and business people in improving the Seven Corners area. The grant funds supported the cleanup event, plus another cleanup to be scheduled in the spring, four to six breakfast meetings for the business community and landscaping for the Seven Corners area.

Another member of the BC7RC board, Anwar Somani of the Euro Market at a Mobil station on Leesburg Pike, contributed additional funds for the clean-up. Domino’s Pizza provided a discount for lunch, Chick-fil-A donated breakfast biscuits, and Shoppers Food Warehouse provided water and donuts. NEPP grant recipients are required to contribute funds, supplies, and/or volunteer labor.

During lunch, Jen Cole of the Clean Fairfax Council, gave a presentation on environmental stewardship, the need to recycle and use less plastic, and why it’s important not to litter.

The cleanup crew.