We Love Lima
Apr. 17—LIMA — Sara Zalar, a nursing student at Rhodes State College, was one of more than 30 people who took to downtown Lima on Saturday to help clean up the area, picking up trash as part of a class project organized by students at Ohio State University at Lima.
"I think it's a great way to kick off the summer and help out the community collecting trash one piece at a time," Zalar said.
Four seniors in the "Generalist Practice with Larger Systems" class wanted to help make a difference and the downtown cleanup project was one way to do that.
"We had a class assignment and we threw out a lot of different ideas but ultimately decided to show our hometown some love," said Megan Fisher, one of the students.
The goal of the "We Love Lima" pickup project was to pick up as much trash as they could but it went even further than that.
"It helps the city to be beautiful, make it safer for all the visitors and show our chamber businesses a little bit of support by keeping their storefronts clean and fresh," Fisher said. "It's important that people who live in a community feel like a valuable part of that community and volunteering and serving is a way to build that investment in your local neighborhoods."
Senior Devin Pierce just wanted to make a difference.
"It feels real good — to do something that's bigger than yourself. That takes a collection of us to cover a large area so we're just doing our part for public health reasons," Pierce said.
Senior Jason Adams appreciates the effort everyone made to participate in the cleanup.
"Bringing the community together, everyone working together to have a safer and cleaner place for both people who live here, people who come to visit here and businesses that operate in the downtown area. It just makes everything about Lima better. It makes people want to come here, businesses want to come in, just try to beautify it up," Adams said.
Student Lauren DiLullo was also proud to help out.
"I feel really great about being here and helping out the community and connecting with various people to get this project completed," DiLullo said.
The downtown cleanup project was made possible through the Social Work Club, the Lima Family YMCA, Allen Soil and Water Conservation District, Central Lima Neighborhood Association, Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce, Visit Greater Lima, ACE Hardware, Padrones and the Campus Activity Board at OSU Lima.
This was not the only cleanup project going on in Lima on Saturday.
Another group helped clean up the area around Simmons Field, the home of the Lima Locos.
Reach Sam Shriver at 567-242-0409.
