A large group of volunteers gathered at the Sequim Civic Center early on the morning of Saturday, Feb. 4, before they dispersed into the alleyways and neighborhoods of downtown Sequim to pick up trash and debris in the area.
This is the third Rally in the Alley event presented by Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County, the City of Sequim and the Neighborhood Revitalization Coalition as a four-part series to clean up different focus areas in the community.
The project started in the fall of 2015 when Habitat for Humanity was awarded a Neighborhood Revitalization grant of $7,000 from the Sequim Sunrise Rotary Club, and when the city got the funding, the group went to look for a project.
During the first two rallies, the group of volunteers collected over 10 tons of garbage and debris from the south side of Sequim. On Feb. 4, the group held its third rally in the focus area from Washington Street to Fir Avenue and Sequim Avenue to Fifth Avenue.
Colleen Robinson, community outreach director of Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County, said the goal of the project is to increase awareness of neighborhood revitalization opportunities to Sequim residents and increase resident engagement.
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit Christian housing ministry dedicated to providing affordable housing and home repair to qualified applicants, but Robinson said the organization is moving in the direction of neighborhood revitalization.
In the past, Robinson said a resident’s fence came down and Habitat for Humanity was able to put it back up. The group also rebuilt a deck in another case and painted a house and cleaned up a yard for a single mother and her daughter. “We want to reach out to residents and reach out to this program,” Robinson said.
Among the volunteers present at the rally were Sequim Mayor Dennis Smith, City Manager Charlie Bush and Assistant City Manager Joe Irvin. Some of the other groups also present included a Boy Scout Troop, youth groups and Sequim residents.
Lily Carignan said she heard about the event from her Sequim Community Church youth group and discovered that a member from the church received a home from Habitat for Humanity.
Irvin said this event is unique because it pulls volunteers from all ages. He added that the group has gone back to focus areas where it cleaned up trash previously and the amount of debris or garbage was noticeably minimized indicating it’s clear the group’s efforts have worked.
Local resident Jessica Haugen was present with her two sons, Hawksoey, 2, and Milo, 5, and said it is nice to have an event to bring the community together after what seemed like a polarizing election.
“We want to be part of the community and make it a better place for everybody,” she said.
The group has one more focus area left before it completes the full Rally in the Alley project. Robinson said the goal is to create resident engagement so homeowners know they can apply to have garbage or debris removed from their homes.
