Contributed by Elisabeth Hurley

“You kids are amazing. This street has never looked so good. Tell me, how did you get this wonderful idea?”
Four heads looked up and three forefingers pointed at Jim. “It was all his idea, Mr. Goldstein. Jim started the whole thing.”

Jim looked shyly at his neighbor who he knew was teaching eighth grade at the Junior High School across the street. “It’s really very simple, Mr. Goldstein. When Mom and Dad and I came back from Ireland last Easter, I couldn’t forget how clean everything looked there. Just glancing out of my window and seeing how dirty our street was, made me sick to my stomach. Going up to Waverly Hill helped.”

“Is that the place up on Independence Avenue?” Mr. Goldstein asked.

“Yeah, that’s the one. It has such beautiful gardens and a nature trail. Everything is clean and smells so nice. I spent most of my time there after school.”

“But things didn’t change around here, right?” Mr. Goldstein questioned.

“No, that’s just the point. I was even dreaming about the filth in the streets. I saw my friends and me sinking into it up to our knees. The smell was horrible and so bad that ten skunks couldn’t have made it worse.”

“Is that when you got the cleanup started, Jim?” Mr. Goldstein wanted to know. Jim shook his head. “What I have been trying to say is that it wasn’t me who had the idea. Reyno here got us all started.”

Reyno, who had been busy tying string around a bundle of old newspapers, countered: “Oh no, Jim, don’t you remember? It was your brother in California who gave us the idea.”

Mr. Goldstein looked interested. “Your brother, Jim? What could he do from so far away?”

“Well, he always tells me to try to change things when they bother me. Like he and his buddies from the hiking club fixed up trails that were supposed to be closed because they were too dangerous.”

“Is that what gave you the idea then?”

“No, not really, Mr. Goldstein. My friends here can tell you that I just didn’t know what to do. It was Reyno who had the thought of getting together on Saturdays to clean up our own street. When he first mentioned it, all of us, Maria and Marcus and I, thought it was a great idea. That’s when we started.”

Mr. Goldstein looked impressed. “So the four of you have been doing this weekend cleanup for a few months already?”

“That’s right, since April,” Maria, the only girl in the group, replied. “We meet every Saturday after breakfast. We get rid of the trash. Marcus brings the empty cans and bottles to the store for refund money. It’s enough to buy the large clear recycling bags we need to use for the sanitation pickup.”

Marcus, a tall skinny boy who had been listening quietly, sighed. “It’s all very good, but you know, one small block is like a needle in a haystack. We clean up Johnson Street while the

rest of the neighborhood is as dirty as ever. We would need more time. I don’t know how. There is work for school and basketball practice and…”

Mr. Goldstein interrupted. “I know, I know. A few of you can’t do it all by yourself. I have a thought. Listening to you gave me an idea that might just work.”

Four pairs of eyes looked at Mr. Goldstein expectantly. “What kind of an idea, Mr. Goldstein?” they asked excitedly.

“Well, children, this is what I have in mind. My eighth-graders would probably volunteer for a few hours a week as part of a social science project. But in addition to that, I want to get together with the principal to involve the whole school and many of the parents too. Sort of a community action plan.”

Jim, Maria, Marcus, and Reyno looked at each other first, then at Mr. Goldstein. “Mr. Goldstein, a community action plan means that the whole community gets involved, doesn’t it?” Jim finally asked.

“Yes, Jim, it does. I want my school to get involved first. Perhaps we can get other schools interested. With the students, teachers, and parents working hand in hand, we should be able to get this neighborhood changed.”

The three boys and one girl looked as if they were in shock. “Mr. Goldstein, why do you want to do all that?” Maria, the first one to recuperate, asked.

“Well, Maria, it’s like this. The four of you started this grass-roots thing. You made it work for one street. If we all help together, we can have other streets clean and perhaps get the
whole area to look nice.”

Mr. Goldstein, smiling broadly, left. His step was bouncy. So were his departing words. “Ladies and gentlemen, watch Mr. Goldstein in action!”

Soon the four, their echoing laughter still in their eyes, were back at work when their neighbor returned. He was holding an ice cream cone for each of them. “Just a little thank you for getting involved,” he said, smiling.

Elisabeth Hurley
October 24, 2008