Do you find litter and graffiti polluting your streets? Not on Options for Youth watch!

The students of the public charter high school Options for Youth (OFY), La Crescenta, are getting their hands dirty, but for a good cause. Drivers who travel down the strip of Foothill Boulevard between Pennsylvania and Lowell will notice that it’s a bit cleaner than usual. This is thanks to OFY La Crescenta 12th graders.

For one Friday a month, the La Crescenta Lions head out into the community with trash bags, litter tongs, graffiti wipes, and good spirits, not only to gain community service hours toward their graduation, but also to make long lasting community relationships. Members of the community have watched as OFY students work vigorously in the scorching 90-plus degree Foothill sunshine. Many come out to cheer the students on; some even drive up to drop off trash into the students’ bags rather than tossing it onto the streets. Students who participate in this program tend to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment, especially when they are able to give back to their community, and they make long-lasting friendships along the way. Most of the students who participate in one adopt-a-block session immediately volunteer for the next outing.

On a usual outing, seniors are able to accumulate four to 10 large, leaky bags of trash. Students also keep a watchful eye open for graffiti on sidewalks, hand rails, utility doors, and city posts so that they can quickly wipe off the markings using eco-friendly wipes.

This event will be sponsored throughout the 2013-14 academic school year by the City of Glendale’s Community Outreach Program “Adopt-A-Block.”

Submitted by Sylvia MARTIROSYAN