CityScape volunteers happy to be part of Youngstown's revitalization

YOUNGSTOWN

Downtown was a sea of orange T-shirts Saturday, but the people wearing them left behind many more colors.

They were volunteers planting a variety of flowers, mulching planted areas and removing debris as part of Streetscape 2015.

More than 650 people participated in the 18th annual project of Youngstown CityScape. The downtown area was the focus of much of the work, but planting and mulching took place throughout the city.

The event is “a perfect combination of volunteers, of businesses, of families, of community social groups” coming together to make an impact in the downtown, said Sharon Letson, CityScape’s executive director.

Sperry Rongone of Boardman, a volunteer with Youngstown State University’s Pete’s Pride group, helped for the first time.

Pete’s Pride is a volunteer initiative that helps with, among other things, community outreach efforts at YSU. 

Rongone helped out with the planting because she wanted to give back to the community.

“Downtown is being revitalized,” she said. “And it’s a great place to just come and visit now. And I have a lot of memories from being here in my youth, with all the stores, in the ’60s.”

Fellow Pete’s Pride member Germaine Bennett of Youngstown agreed.

“I’m a part of Youngstown, and I’m always interested in beautifying the place in which I live and where I worked for many years,” she said. “I love it.”

Read more stories of the day in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.