Community Beautification Shows City-Wide Colton Pride

Seventy-two volunteers rose early last Saturday, July 20 to help beautify one Colton neighborhood that needed a little tender love and care. Volunteers gathered at the George Brown Park at 8 a.m. that morning to work alongside Colton Mayor Pro Tem David Toro, who oversees District 1, with neighborhood beautification efforts. Volunteers checked in and received vests and gloves, all donated from local businesses for this initiative. According to Toro, the initiative has been in the works for a year. About a month and a half ago, a date for the project was set. “This area is one that has the most concerns, so I wanted to focus on it,” said Toro. He added that other businesses got involved as well, noting that the fire department donated $500, funds used to purchase plants for the project. The area was prepared by public works, and volunteers worked for two hours to plant several different types of plants, shrubs and laid woodchips, shared Toro. “This is a city-wide effort and our motto is ‘City-wide—Colton Pride.’ We have people from all over the city coming out here to help beautify this area,” said Toro. "I anticipated a four hour project, but with the amount of people that came out, we were done in two." Toro insisted that City Clerk Eileen Gomez was a big help in recruiting volunteers, stating that spreading the word about the event was one of the reasons for its success. More than 70 volunteers came to help, filing out from various youth organizations and churches. Volunteers included the Colton High School cheerleaders and football team, members from First Assembly of God church and the Emmaus Center, added Toro. Pizzas were donated by Nickelodeon Pizza, with cold drinks provided by the Colton Police Officers Association and Colton Disposal. “The event was well organized and there was a team attitude. It was great,” said April Hoss, Director of Operations at the Emmaus Center. “It takes people coming together to do a project, getting pride regarding a project, understanding they can make a difference,” said Interim City Manager Stephen Compton. Toro explained, “It’s something to unite on. I was very proud of the people in the surrounding neighborhood and group organizations that came out to help clean up and beautify the area. It shows that 'Colton Pride is City Wide' and people in Colton care about their town." City leaders look to continue the community beautification efforts in the future, as Toro shared that plans are currently being discussed to set a date and time for the next project. A database of volunteers to help the City is being put together. Contact the City Council office at 909-370-5060 for more information on how you can volunteer.