On Saturday, July 27, 2024, Penn Hills Rotary partnered with the Penn Hills Community Development Corporation to host the first town-wide litter cleanup. By all measures, the Penn Hills Community Cleanup Day & Picnic was a huge success. Over 170 volunteers registered to participate, and they picked up 399 bags of trash.

The groups spread out over 12 different neighborhoods and cleaned over 6.5 miles of state, county and municipal roadways. Participants represented local Penn Hills businesses, community groups, and multiple different families. In addition, Rotary worked with the Penn Hills School District athletic department to enlist the help of multiple high school sports teams, including the varsity cheerleaders, boys soccer, and boys and girls volleyball.

After the litter cleanup, Rotary and Penn Hills CDC members hosted a picnic for the volunteers at the Rosedale VFD Memorial Park. While enjoying grilled food and even an iced cold beer or two, participants heard from various elected officials, including State Representative Joe McAndrew (D-Penn Hills), and Penn Hills council members Shawn Kerestus and Alan Waldron, who all thanked the various groups for their service to the community. “There’s so much happening in Rotary and [Penn Hills] CDC… there are so many things to do and so many groups to get active in that if you aren’t doing it, you’re missing out,” said Waldron, while encouraging participants to continue to volunteer in the future. “Find where you belong, find where you fit in, find where you contribute, and just get involved. It’s amazing. It’s fun.”

Various prizes were awarded during the picnic. The Rosedale Civic Association won the prize for most amount of bags collected, while the Penn Hills Anti-Litter Group won an award for the largest team. The most unique item found was an old metal toy truck, and that prize went to the Penn Hills Shade Tree Commission. The “dirtiest volunteer” award was given to Penn Hills School District athletic director Stephanie Strauss, who was seen collecting trash down the hillside between Rockcliff Road and Quigley Creek.

Rotary members share a unique passion for taking on challenges to improve their communities and the world. This event is no different: Rotarians identified a challenge in the community and worked with its community partners to create a powerful, uniting community event. Penn Hills Rotary members are People of Action.