Walnut Way Conservation Corp.’s recent “Lift Up” event brought out 120 volunteers to help plant trees, clean up the neighborhood and lift the spirits of the people in the community.

“This event is more than just a clean up,” said Larry Adams, environmental steward at Walnut Way, as he and program director Sharon Adams offered a blessing for commercial corridors. “Together we are ‘lifting up’ our community through our actions, prayers, hopes and connections.”

Volunteers were dispersed throughout Lindsay Heights to clean up trash on the streets. In addition, they planted in the Walnut Way gardens, and organized an arts and crafts activity for children.

Among the volunteers were 30 residents and other community organizations and businesses, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Public Allies Milwaukee, Northside YMCA, Marquette University, MTEC Americorps (Milwaukee Teacher Education Center), Riverwest Co-op, Wells Fargo and UPS.

At the event, Walnut Way was awarded a $3,000 grant from the Marquette Hunger Clean-Up to create a learning garden. The organization began educational programming in response to requests from educators and students to visit the Walnut Way center, gardens and orchards.

More than 200 children visited the gardens last year to learn about community, health and environmental stewardship. Environmental Education Coordinator
 Erica Heisdorf Bisquerra has developed a full curriculum for student visits, incorporating art, science and other themes. For more information, contact Heisdorf Bisquerra at 264-2326.