Crown Heights Community Coming Together to #MakeCrownHeightsShine

This coming Sunday, April 25th, Repair the World Brooklyn, The Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, The Office of Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo, One Crown Heights, Brooklyn Community Board 9, Neighbors in Action/SOS, The Brooklyn Children’s Museum, The UJA Federation of New York, and Clean Up Crown Heights are co-hosting a community-wide project named “#MakeCrownheightsShine – A Community Clean Up”. We are putting out the call to inspire all Crown Heights residents, organizations and businesses to participate in cleaning our neighborhood.

This project is an opportunity to show unity that is focused on the common goals we all have of taking pride in Crown Heights, making the community more beautiful, more inviting and curtailing rodents such as rats, possums and raccoons.

At the beginning of the pandemic, city funding for sanitation was cut, but it was recently restored after a year of garbage piling up and an increase in 311 rodent complaints. While the city is increasing its efforts, we as residents need to work on it as well.

Here’s how to participate on April 25th:

Choose a location to collect garbage in Crown Heights, in front of your home or business, an alley, or a whole block, together with your block association if you have one.

Invite family, friends, or community to join you – post on social media about what you are doing and encourage others using the tag #MakeCrownHeightsShine.

Take “before” and “after” pictures of your area! Add a selfie, so we can see all of our neighbors working together

When we take care of our community, we take care of each other. Small positive acts like this can make a big difference in fostering positive neighbor relationships. When we all work together at the same time, we can transform all of Crown Heights for the better.

We all know the Rebbe loved and encouraged any effort to build up and improve Crown Heights. The following is an interesting story which was published in A Chassidisher Derher (Cheshvan 5777); Here the Rebbe spoke of the necessity of fixing up, and keeping a local Mikvah clean:

“We are addressing the mikveh that is closest to the shul of nesi doreinu, and in fact the entire neighborhood is one that nesi doreinu has chosen to reside in, and gave brachos to it— which have already been fulfilled, and these above-mentioned individuals are beneficiaries of these brachos. So how could it be that they have not ‘dipped a finger in cold water’ to make this neighborhood how it should be?”

Join us and grab your rubber gloves or a broom, trash bags, include your kids, and don’t forget to post your work! If you would like to borrow a trash picking-up tool you can email Simcha.baez@werepair.org