The 2018 Spring Cincinnati Enhancement program had its kick-off celebration on the 14th of April, partnering with the University and our own Center for Community Engagement. The event is designed to focus on neighborhoods of the city with expressed needs, and a combined effort brings public services and volunteers to those communities to reduce crime, make the city more beautiful, and improve the environment for our citizens. Students woke up early to go out by 8:30am on the weekend preceding the last week of classes for students. Eager to help and more awake than I could ever dream of being at that time in the morning, students gathered to go across the city in McMicken Circle.
Unlike the frozen cleanup the week before, the temperatures were not so formidable to the students. Many were happy to be there helping their city. Emma, a junior, said "it's definitely a great way to help out the city. This is our home and any way to help our home be made safer or more beautiful will help us all!" The potential for rain did not keep these students away, and their excitement to be there was definitely infectious. With more of such events scheduled throughout the Spring and early Summer, the Spring Neighborhood Cleanup is going on for the next 90 days with events posted on their website regularly, for those who wish to participate in the future!
This was the last major service event of the year for UC students, with graduation being only two weeks from the event. With this in mind, the committed nature of these students to helping our community definitely shows a couple of things. One, our students not graduating will be committed next year, with a new crop of freshmen to add to the fray of community service for our city and university. The second, of course, is our graduating students entering into the Cincinnati community, or other communities across the United States and even the world, have shown their willingness to go above and beyond, even just before graduating, to help their community. Our city and country will be in great hands with these newly graduated students having the drive and compassion to give their scarce time to help their community. Congratulations to anyone who is graduating on April 28th, and thank you all for your service to the University and the City of Cincinnati, whether just at this event or throughout your time at UC!
