By Grace Bowen
November 28th 2022
Fall Clean Up 2022 took place on November 5th this year, and the turnout was great! Over 1,600 volunteers from Colorado State University and the surrounding Fort Collins area came to support our residents. Two-hundred-and-two homes were visited, and everyone who participated contributed to the warmth and connection that we experience as a campus and a community.
Every year Off-Campus Life hosts and helps orchestrate Fall Clean Up which is a program focused on helping Fort Collins city residents clean up their yards. Volunteers go out into the neighborhoods in groups of five or more to do yard work primarily for those neighbors who aren’t physically able to do the work themselves and who cannot afford to hire people to do the work for them. Some of the activities that volunteers help with are:
- Leaf raking
- Gutter maintenance
- Weeding
- Mowing
- Tree and plant trimming
- Outdoor furniture storage
- Window washing
- Flower bed and garden cleaning
Many of the neighbors that register to participate in Fall Clean Up have been a part of the program for years because of the work our volunteers do and the relationships that come from each experience. Some of the feedback we received was, “I am so thankful for this program. It is a service that I not only look forward to, but anticipate each year,” and “They have cleaned my yard for many years as I am 104 years old- They make my life better.”
The goal of Fall Clean Up is to promote a healthy relationship between the University and the long-term residents of the surrounding area. We continue the program because the feedback we receive from students and neighbors align with our goals. That being said, without the time and dedication of our volunteers who represent and foster the culture of our community, we could not carry out this program.
A special thanks to Greg Over, Nancy Rhodes, Topazio Aranda, and SLiCE who played a huge role in the success of the Fall Clean Up event.
Additional leaf resources:
If you decide to rake your leaves into piles, make sure you do not place them in an area where they can clog storm drains per city ordinance; and if you decide to bag your leaves, sign up for curbside leaf collection through the City of Fort Collins.
To learn more about the Fort Collins municipal code and ordinances around leaf litter please visit: https://www.fcgov.com/recycling/curbside.php