Trying to Make a Difference With Cleanup

Schoolchildren removed weeds on Leighton Drive at two houses owned by elderly residents, families living in homes along Ventura Avenue spruced up their yards, and the owners of neighboring businesses swept sidewalks and cleared out gutters as residents and others volunteered their time Sunday to clean up their neighborhood.

The effort to freshen up one of Ventura’s oldest neighborhoods was part of Make a Difference Day, sponsored by the Soul Committee of the Westside Community Council and other local organizations.

Organizers of the cleanup hope improving the neighborhood’s appearance will help attract more visitors to the area.

“This neighborhood always had a much bummer rap than it deserved,” said local resident Len Evans, a gardener and the creator of Ventura Avenue’s Plaza Park.

Once a weed-choked empty lot nestled between a liquor store and the Ventura Avenue Adult Center, Plaza Park has become a symbol of residents’ efforts to turn the area around and is a focal point for many neighborhood activities.

“We want to get the whole community involved,” said Karen Walker, secretary of the Westside Community Council. “It’s everybody’s neighborhood down here.”

By noon, volunteers had filled nearly a dozen large trash bags with debris ranging from paper and candy wrappers to truck tires.

Organizers also held an afternoon awards ceremony to honor people who made outstanding contributions to the revitalization of Ventura Avenue and the well-being of its residents.

Betty Molina, co-chairwoman of the Soul Committee, said the awards--given to businesses and homeowners who dramatically improved the appearance of their properties, library volunteers and neighborhood children who show good citizenship in school--are intended to turn around the neighborhood’s troubled reputation.

“We want to change that,” Molina said. “Good things happen here too.”