April 6, 2009

PHILADELPHIA, PA- La Salle student-athletes took advantage of The Second Annual Philly Spring Cleanup this past weekend. The event, which is an effort by Mayor Michael Nutter to help reduce the amount of litter and trash in Philadelphia, was held at several different locations throughout the city. Explorer student-athletes gathered together to clean the Olney Avenue corridor and the parks adjacent to La Salle's campus.

The cleanup signifies the "Love Where You Live" anti-littering campaign implemented by Mayor Nutter. The project aims to raise litter-prevention awareness among Philadelphians and create a sense of neighborhood pride in order to keep the city clean.

Last year's Philly Spring Cleanup was a huge success, recognized by "Keep America Beautiful" as the largest single day, citywide clean-up on record in the United States. La Salle student-athletes along with the rest of the La Salle community contributed to the city's success in 2008:

• 15,000 volunteers cleaned over 3,500 blocks*

• 2.5 million pounds of trash were collected*

• 71 commercial corridors were cleaned*

• 28 Recreation Centers and 27 Fairmount Park sites were cleaned*

"It's great to see La Salle student-athletes take advantage of the opportunity to be a part of an event that not only helps our neighborhood, but the entire city. I just hope we can match or even surpass last year's success," says Mike Ellerson, Director of Project Teamwork.

For more information, or to get involved, please visit www.phillycleanup.com * or contact Mike Ellerson at ellersonm1@lasalle.edu . To view pictures from the event visit this link: GALLERY