In January 2021 I experienced two deaths due to COVID-19; my grandfather passed away and I lost my dream job. My beloved grandfather had lived a full life of 97 years and died in the home he had lived in for over 50 years. My dream job was to be the beginning of the local government career I had always envisioned for myself and not getting it resulted in unexpected levels of grief and disappointment. While grieving those two losses I knew I did not want to stay mired in my sorrow and decided to take the advice in the article “Want to be happier? Try Volunteering, study says”. According to the article, when we help others we experience a “warm glow” that I hoped would thaw the sadness from my spirit (Hopper, 2020). Serendipitously that same day I received an email newsletter from a local non-profit Georgia STAND-UP asking for volunteers to participate in a community clean up day on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. I have always supported STAND-UP’S mission: “STAND-UP’s mission is to provide information and resources that help create healthy, livable neighborhoods while respecting the right of existing community residents to benefit from new investment, emerging technologies, and workforce opportunities created by innovation and growth”, but never had the time to volunteer with them. I was drawn to the community clean-up day because it was NOT virtual-the thought of doing anything else online brought a feeling of dread to my soul. 

When the day came, honestly, I regretted signing up because it was a very chilly day and I would have preferred to stay snug in my bed instead of departing it at 7 AM. Leaving my family laughing at me in our warm home, I joined a group of approximately 40 other people in thick winter wear, masks, hand sanitizers, large black garbage bags, and garbage pickers. We were split into small groups and given a map of an area we were tasked with cleaning. My group was diverse with a mother and her teenage daughter, two ladies in their late 50’s/ early 60’s, a middle-aged man, and myself. We were all Black and only the man lived in the area that we were cleaning. The mother and daughter were members of the local megachurch that was partnering with STAND-UP for this community clean up project. I remember during my drive there I did not see much trash and started to worry that I would be out there for hours scouring the ground to find something to do. The reality was completely different- we found the most trash in unexpected places like behind a church where the deacon came out and thanked us for our work. 

While cleaning we chatted about ourselves, what brought us out this morning, and shared how shocked we were at some of the items we found in the trash. Eventually, we split up further so talking wasn’t an option and I was able to find a good rhythm of picking up trash and stuffing it in the bag without it falling out. Suddenly I realized that I was humming Shawn Mendes’ “In My Blood” to myself while I cleaned, and I paused. I looked up into the bright cloudless blue sky, gazed at all the people who were also there working on that day off work to make the community a better-looking place and I felt a sense of peace and joy. I felt a resurgence of hope for myself in my chosen career of community development and a stronger belief in the difference everyday people can make when they work together. Several local governments understand the power of community clean-ups and are integral to initiatives such as the Healthy Neighborhoods programs in Baltimore and Milwaukee (Sissman & Russell, 2016).