Once a year, Martindale Brightwood residents get a little help from their neighbors to start the spring with a cleaner, safer and more welcoming home environment.
The Edna Martin Christian Center and the Brightwood Community Development Corporation team up each year to help senior (55+) members of the community or those with disabilities knock out necessary tasks around the home themselves — including yard work, landscaping, gutter clearing, junk and trash removal, and general tidying. This year, Spring Cleaning Day saw more than 87 volunteers alongside Brick and Ember Outfitters spread out amongst 17 African American households in the community from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 24.
Ervine McCoy, 61, has lived in the Martindale-Brightwood area for the last 48 years, and said he didn’t even sign up for Spring Cleaning Day. McCoy happened to be outside cutting grass the day before when a woman in a truck approached him and asked if he needed any help. He told her what he needed done, and the next day, a team with a truck showed up to do it, McCoy said.
“They rehabbed the house for me,” McCoy said. “There was some stuff that couldn’t be done; they came in, made it look like a new house.”
In addition to providing income for the family, McCoy also takes care of his 79-year-old mother, who receives dialysis treatments. Having his community take care of his home gave him “a good feeling” and fewer things to worry about around the house, McCoy said.
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Ashley Landrum has spent her entire life on the east side of Indianapolis, but said this is her first year volunteering for Spring Cleaning Day. Landrum told the Recorder that “supporting those who continue to empower our northeast side neighborhoods” is something she’s always been passionate about, especially since the Martindale Brightwood area has some negative preconceptions. Volunteering a few hours of her time was just one way for her to give back, further highlighting the positive aspects of the community here.
The survival of everyday neighborhoods relies on human connection, and Landrum said one of the best ways to do that is through service — which is something “all of us can buy in and support.”
“I think, often or not, we in society have forgotten what it means to connect with one another through service,” Landrum said. “If we are able to exemplify that, show the power of it, I feel like knowing what it means to love our neighbors just becomes a solution.”
Landrum’s team spent most of the day cleaning up yards, cleaning gutters, removing shrubbery and weeds and disposing of garbage, junk or rotten wood — including at McCoy’s house. Though McCoy offered his help, Landrum said he was just grateful to have extra support with some of the maintenance and upkeep that older homes require.
Landrum’s team was able to clear away a bunch of dead trees and rotting wood along the fenceline, some of which had been there for years, McCoy said.The dedication and generosity of the volunteers who showed up also inspired McCoy to want to give back to his community, too.
“I just want to say thanks to the Martindale Brightwood community for everything that they did for me,” McCoy said. “They really did a beautiful job, and I really appreciate it… I almost had tears in my eyes.”
Martindale Brightwood Spring Cleaning Day starts recruiting volunteers a few weeks in advance. Community members are encouraged to either volunteer their time or register a neighbor who needs assistance through 211.
Volunteers of all ages and experience levels are welcome — including individuals, families, churches, student groups and local businesses looking to give back. Volunteers meet in the Brightwood Plaza parking lot bright and early to receive their assignments before being sent out in teams of 8-10. For more information, visit mbcdc.org.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
