EAST CLEVELAND — The Trash Boys are hosting a community litter pickup day in East Cleveland on Friday, April 17, and they are looking for residents to show up and participate.
The event is from 4 to 6 p.m. Volunteers are asked to bring basic supplies like gloves and trash bags, and meet at the corner of Shaw and Euclid Avenues.
Andre Willis of the Trash Boys said the message is simple.
"Stop littering, take pride in your community and be a good community leader," Willis said. "I'm really excited to see how good we can get it looking."
Brothers Willis and Drevian Arrington, along with their mother Jasmine Willis, launched the business nearly two years ago to help seniors get their garbage cans to and from their homes for trash day and to help rid communities of litter. The business has expanded its services to include seasonal yard work, junk removal, pet manure cleanup, window washing and more.
I was the first reporter to share their story and have been following their progress ever since.
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Today, the team even has a youth mentoring and work development program called Turning Trash into Triumph.
The project in East Cleveland came about after a resident called about getting help with an excessive amount of litter in their community on Charles Street.
Willis said even before arriving on the street, they noticed large amounts of litter and larger items meant for landfills — not streets, tree lawns and yards.
"Litter- doesn't just affect the streets. It has a bigger effect on the mental aspect, the emotional aspect- how we feel even when we step outside the door. So I think picking up trash is a beautiful way to start getting more people involved," Willis said. "So our biggest goal is to restore community pride. We need the residents to realize it's not just up to the city. It's not just up to government. It's up to the people."
The Trash Boys said they've been blessed with financial support to make sure items collected in East Cleveland can be properly hauled away and disposed of.
Andre said the evolution of The Trash Boys has been a blessing, and the community has shown support in numerous ways.
"They're telling us how amazing we're doing, that we should keep doing what we're doing— we're doing God's work," Andre Willis said.
His mom couldn't be prouder.
"They have little boys running up to them every time they see them on the street. They look at them as heroes," Jasmine Willis said. "And I think it's important to have positive role models in the community to help kind of guide kids. Andre and his brother, they're becoming mentors for other kids and that's what the TTT program is about- Turning Trash into Triumph.
Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @DMaloneyTV, on Facebook DamonMaloneyTV or email him at Damon.Maloney@wews.com.
