The South Mountain Village Clean & Beautiful (SMVC&B) conduct is an ethnically and religiously diverse organization formed in 1997 to improve the environment in the South Mountain Village. We do this by conducting ongoing solid waste cleanups to reduce crime that tends to foster in un-kept, neglected urban areas. Opportunities are provided for both probationers to perform court-ordered community service and for at-risk youth through the “Wake Up”. Violence Program where students volunteer in their communities. The “Wake-Up Program” has been very effective in reducing juvenile arrest, lowering truancy and school discipline referrals. There is also volunteer participation with the residents, businesses, schools and non-residents of the community. At the beginning of each clean-up SMVC&B sponsors a continental breakfast and at the end of each clean-up we have a bar-b-que for all of those people who have participated. We also supply all the water, gloves, masks, tools and trash bags during the clean up.

The formation of the SMVC&B resulted from the combination of non-profit organizations, local businesses and governmental agencies, they are: The South Mountain Village/Laveen Chamber of Commerce, Wal-Mart, SABIS School, Reddy Ice, Keller Williams Lifestyle Reality, IronCo, The Environmental Justice Committee, Safeway, Phoenix Ranch Market, Phoenix Clean and Beautiful, Maricopa County Adult Probation, City of Phoenix Adult Restitution Program, the Wake-Up clubs of the Roosevelt School District, City Council Offices 7 & 8, City of Phoenix Police, Fire and the Neighborhood Services Department (including Parks and Recreation, Graffiti Busters, Solid Waste, and Neighborhood Zoning and Maintenance Enforcement).

The overall goal of our project is to enhance the South Mountain Village by encouraging residents to take greater pride in their neighborhoods by eliminating blight and thus detect and deter crime. The SMVC&B conducts cleanups (6 to 8 per year) in all areas of the South Mountain/Laveen Village’s and we also follow up with educational presentations to the residents on how to implement Block Watch Organizations or Neighborhood Associations. We give them detailed information on how to organize, facilitate, and successfully complete on-going cleanup projects to permanently rid their neighborhoods of blight.
Another goal of the SMVC&B is to increase volunteer participation during the cleanups. We do this by walking the neighborhoods and talking to the residents, informing them of opportunities to become involved. This “walk and talk” also includes the distribution of flyers, both in English and Spanish, advertising the upcoming project. We also take this opportunity to provide residents with information on ordinances covering illegal dumping and the phone numbers to various governmental agencies willing to assist in curtailing blight. The SMVC&B are also researching a way to initiate harsher penalties for those convicted of illegal dumping. We hope to accomplish this by creating partnerships with local businesses, schools, and various government officials and agencies.

Since the inception of the SMVC&B in 1997 we have collected and discarded more than 5000 vehicular tires and filled at least 100 industrial size dumpsters with approximately 1.2 million pounds of solid waste. Our average clean up lasts five hours (7am till noon) and we have between 100 and 150 participants. We normally clean up at least a one square mile area.
To Volunteer or Sponsor a Clean Up Please contact: George Young at 602-243-3162 or e-mail at gayoung@cox.net