City, community groups and business partners launch recruitment drive for Motor City Makeover

Citywide annual cleanup and beautification effort set for Saturdays in May
Beautification efforts now include distribution of trees, along with flowers

Just a few days after hundreds of thousands of NFL Draft visitors were struck by the city of Detroit's beauty, the work to sustain and build on that beauty continues with the launch of the City's annual community clean-up and beautification campaign, Motor City Makeover.

The Department of Neighborhoods, community and business partners kicked off the campaign today, with beautification being central to the program. New this year, the City will distribute trees, 500 in total. The City again will distribute 90,000 flowers (roughly more than 2000 flats).

The kickoff announcement took place at the Farwell Garden at the corner of East Eight Mile Road and Fenelon Street on Detroit’s northeast side.

The City is calling on residents, community organizations, business owners and students to join the effort to clean and beautify neighborhoods the first three Saturdays in May. Organizers are emphasizing the need for residents to register in order to get a limited supply of bags and gloves, flowers and trees. So far, individuals and groups have registered 500 projects.

Cleaning will take place by districts on:

May 4 - Districts 1, 2 and 3 
May 11 - Districts 4 and 5 
May 18 - Districts 6 and 7

Volunteers can sign up at motorcitymakeover.org or by calling (313) 224-4415.

"People from across America got to see just what a beautiful city we have this past weekend,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “It has been the hard work of block clubs, neighborhood associations, churches and individual volunteers that made it happen. Motor City Makeover is our chance to building on this momentum, and we’re asking every Detroiter to sign up to help keep our city beautiful.”

In addition to the citywide cleanup, the City will focus on:

Summer/Fall - Cleanup Efforts with Community Groups
The City will provide bags and gloves and arrange for pickup of debris for groups with cleanup projects outside of May.

Ongoing - Promoting Recycling
The Department of Public Works will provide a free recycling container to residents who attend a recycling workshop or take the recycling quiz on the City’s Web site at detroitrecycles.org.

SPONSORS AND DONORS

So far, the City has received a total of $63,250 in financial and in-kind donations for Motor City Makeover. This year’s top sponsor is Ryan Hubbell Auto Parts, Inc., with a $10,000 financial donation. Rocket Community Fund follows with its $7500 contribution.

“As a long-established business in the city of Detroit, Ryan’s Pick-a-Part is committed to improving the community we are fortunate to be a part of,” said Manager Richard Wagner. “Ryan’s is proud to be among the thousands of volunteers that come together to clean and beautify our Detroit neighborhoods.”

The top in-kind sponsors include Major Contracting and Priority Waste. Any organization or company that would like to donate to Motor City Makeover should call (313) 224-3400.

Top Sponsors
Ryan Hubbell Auto Parts, Inc.
Rocket Companies

DeAngelis Diamond
Marathon Petroleum Company
Michigan Recreational Construction Inc. (MRC)
Corewell Health DMC Consultants
DTE Energy
Giorgi Concrete
SER Metro Detroit
VITEC
Detroit Thermal
WSP
Comcast Cable
CNS Healthcare

In-Kind Sponsors
Major Contracting
Priority Waste
Home Depot Waste Management
All Pro Color|
Homrich
SC Environmental
Gayanga
ICC

2023 MCM BY THE NUMBERS

Individual Volunteers – 2200 Volunteers
Tons of Trash Collected – 684 Tons (1.36 million pounds)
Number of Locations Cleaned – More than 500

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Individuals and community groups must register with the City of Detroit Department of Neighborhoods (DON) in order to receive a limited supply of bags, gloves, flowers and trees, as well as information regarding special pickups of brush, tires, bagged litter and roll-off containers. Debris will only be collected from pre-established locations.

Individuals and groups are encouraged to:

Register online at motorcitymakeover.org or call (313) 224-4415 to join the effort.
Clean around their neighborhood, business, house of worship, or school on their designated Saturday.
Organize their neighbors, members or employees for a massive cleanup or to board up vacant homes. Volunteers can indicate where they will clean or do board-ups when registering or call (313) 224-4415 for a location.
Beautify their area by planting flowers, plants, or trees, or by removing graffiti, etc.

Bulk Drop-Off Locations

In addition, volunteers may take bagged litter to any of the drop-off locations listed below, which will be open on the Saturday cleanup dates. The limit is two cubic yards or 1,000 pounds. No renovation materials or debris accepted at Davison and Southfield yards.

Davison Yard - 8221 West Davison, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Southfield Yard - 12255 Southfield Road, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Fons Transfer Station - 6451 E. McNichols, 8 a.m. –4 p.m. Renovation materials accepted for a fee.