Mayor's office kicks off citywide volunteer cleanup in Gary; organizers set weekly Saturday meetups

The Mayor's Office of the City of Gary launched a citywide volunteer cleanup, organizers said, inviting residents to sign up for community cleanups and "Love Your Block" projects and announcing recurring Saturday meetups.

Kiana Grant, director of the mayor's office of constituent services for the City of Gary, said the event was a kickoff for the year's volunteer campaign and encouraged people to register and participate "rain or shine." "We are here today, rain or shine, to kick off volunteer big," Grant said, urging residents to join cleanup events and sign up for volunteer projects run by the city.

Community advocate Michael Suggs said he came to "celebrate the opportunity to clean our city" and called on residents to help "double down on the commitment to build a better Gary." Alex Carter, a volunteer who introduced himself at the event, said he was helping "the city that I love, Gary, Indiana," and described his reason for joining as a personal commitment to neighborhood upkeep.

Organizers provided basic logistics: volunteers were working on 15th Avenue near Edna by Jack Ray, and volunteers were asked to meet at 9 a.m. on Saturdays at rotating locations. One speaker referenced meeting at "the Husting Camp" and also used the phrase "the Hustle" when describing the Saturday gathering point; the exact official site name was not specified in the remarks.

The kickoff included music and applause and brief informal comments from participants. Organizers said the program will offer recurring weekend opportunities for residents to join local cleanups and community-beautification efforts.

The event concluded with a reminder of the weekly schedule and thanks to volunteers; no formal votes or city council actions were recorded at the gathering.