Volunteers from “Big Blue” (JE Dunn) took care of business near Gate 3 of Cliff Drive, netting a pretty good haul from the park.
Volunteers from Insight Global picked up trash and litter along the walking trail near Indian Mound.

If you noticed a small army of volunteers along the Gladstone Boulevard, Cliff Drive corridor in Kessler Park on Friday, you were not alone. In celebration of Earth Day, The Great Kansas City Clean Up-2022 was in full force in Northeast.

Volunteers from KCP&L were joined by Northeast Newsdog Ella the Destroyer as they picked up litter near the colonnade in Kessler Park.

Over 160 volunteers alone from a variety of companies such as JE Dunn, Turner and Kiewit Construction Companies,  Kansas City Power and Light, Boy and Girl Scouts, all volunteered their time, rolling up their sleeves and making our community a better and much cleaner place to live.

Volunteers from Kiewit Construction Company police the treeline along the walking trail near Hardesty Avenue. Note the horse picture rescued from an abandoned homeless camp. Tres Chic.
Volunteers from Turner Construction Company joined Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood resident and KCMO Parks Ambassador Wick Thomas in clearing trash from behind the colonnade in Concourse Park.

Kansas City, Missouri Parks Ambassadors were on hand to direct volunteer efforts as well. Parks and Rec Resident Engagement Officer  Kelly Jander noted, “we have 19 sites today and over 500 people city wide participating both today and tomorrow,” said Jander at Cliff Drive’s Gate 4.  “We’re really grateful for these organizations letting their employees off work to come help clean up. It’s just a super-cool day to be out doing this.”

Indian Mound neighborhood resident Christopher Lowrance directs volunteers toward heavy litter areas along the Gladstone Blvd. walking trail.

When it was all said and done, Northeast neighborhood volunteers from Pendleton Heights, Scarritt Renaissance, and Indian Mound Neighborhoods along with corporate volunteers cleared hundreds of tires, a small mountain of trash and litter, hundreds of yards of invasive honeysuckle and even a few dead animal carcasses from the wooded areas of Kessler Park. 

Indian Mound resident Amanda Wilson poses with the crew at Cliff Drive’s Gate 4. Volunteer Melissa Estelle (lime green shirt) spent the entire day in Kessler Park, with a number of crews.

The clean up effort continues today throughout the city.