Volunteers gather for Immaculate Collection beautification project ahead of NFL draft
No detail is too small when it comes to preparing Pittsburgh to host the NFL draft. That includes picking up trash and planting some greenery in our neighborhoods.
It's a kickoff for draft week, and over 50 volunteers, including Stacy Marinos, showed up in Pittsburgh's West End with trash bags in hand for the first community event of the NFL draft.
"You always leave things better than when you found them. So it's a win-win," Marinos said.
That win-win is part of an initiative Allegheny Cleanways started in September, months before the NFL draft began.
"It's great to be doing it now, to put a face on the community, maybe for out-of-town visitors so that they can see that we care about our community, we want to make it look great, we're proud of our community," Marinos said.
City pride and appreciation fill the air with these volunteers from the community, which include Friends of the Riverfront, Allegheny Cleanways, and members of the Steelers.
"I feel grateful for the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the work that Cleanways has been doing for 25 years," Allegheny Cleanways executive director Caily Grube said.
"Super grateful to Allegheny Cleanways. They launched the campaign for Immaculate Collection months before the draft to really make sure our city was ready to welcome so many visitors," Pittsburgh Steelers senior director of community relations Blayre Holmes Davis said.
Now that work is culminating in over 400 tons of trash collected off 50 highway miles for draft-related litter maintenance. It's teamwork worth applauding, with 60 more trees planted in Esplen.
"It's always a good day to plant a tree," Friends of the Riverfront executive director Kelsey Ripper said.
From trees in the ground to bags filled with trash, it's making Pittsburgh beautiful to show locals and visitors that Pittsburgh is loved and worthy of the national spotlight.
"We're excited to 'redd up' Pittsburgh to make it look beautiful to let people know that we care about our city and that they should come and enjoy the beauty that it has to offer," Ripper said.
Clean-up efforts with the Immaculate Collection will continue for two years after the NFL draft leaves Pittsburgh.
