There’s a particular kind of energy that happens when a community decides, all at once, that it’s tired of waiting.
You can feel it in the way people show up early. In the way strangers introduce themselves and get straight to work. In the way a block that has looked the same for years a little worn, a little forgotten starts to look different by noon. That energy was everywhere in Bartow on the morning of September 20, 2025, when more than 177 volunteers gathered at 970 E. Main Street for the first-ever Bartow CRA IMPACT Cleanup.
By the time they packed up and headed to lunch, they had changed twelve homes, pulled more than 2,620 pounds of debris off the streets, planted 47 trees and shrubs, and poured more than 410 hours of labor into the neighborhoods that make up the CRA district. In-kind value generated: over $18,500. But those numbers, as impressive as they are, only tell part of the story.
A City Showing Up for Itself
The logistics behind the IMPACT Cleanup are real the CRA partnered with Keep Polk County Beautiful and the City of Bartow Solid Waste Department to coordinate supplies, routes, and volunteer assignments. But what made the day remarkable wasn’t the planning. It was the people.
Faith communities came out in force. Mt. Gilboa Baptist Church, St. James AME Church, and the Dream Center of Lakeland brought volunteers and showed up ready to work. OD Jones Roofing contributed skilled hands. Liberty Link organized their people and put them to use. The Polk County Royals sent a crew that spent the day painting and having a genuinely good time doing it.
“We’re out here painting,” one Royals participant said, laughing. “Everybody’s showing what they can do and what they can’t do but we’re having a good time.”
That mix of people different ages, different backgrounds, different organizations, all on the same block doing the same work was exactly what the CRA had hoped to create. “It’s so nice to see the community come together,” one attendee said. “It’s about meeting new people, having families unite. It’s a beautiful experience.”
For many of the volunteers, it wasn’t about the scale of the project. It was about the act itself the simple, direct power of showing up.
“Every day I get up and I feel like I’m going to make an impact,” one volunteer said. “I go out there and I do it, and I feel like it’s always a positive thing. Even one piece of trash makes a difference.”
What It Meant for the Homeowners
The volunteers fanned out across the CRA district painting exteriors, clearing debris, trimming overgrowth, hauling away years of accumulated wear. For the residents whose homes received attention that day, the experience was something they hadn’t expected.
“I didn’t expect so many people coming out,” said one homeowner. “I appreciate all the help that everyone gave us, and we just enjoyed it. It was a pleasant day. They came out doing a wonderful job. It was wonderful. I can’t have the words to say about it. I just really appreciate it.”
That kind of response the kind where someone can barely find words is what makes this work matter. These are homes. People live in them, raise families in them, have spent decades in them. When a community shows up and says your home matters, your street matters, you matter that leaves a mark that goes far deeper than fresh paint.
The Numbers Behind the Day
For those who need the proof in figures, the 2025 IMPACT Cleanup delivered:
- 177+ volunteers signed in and put to work
- 410.5 volunteer hours contributed across the district
- 2,620 pounds of debris removed from CRA neighborhoods
- 47 trees and shrubs planted to beautify residential corridors
- 12 homes cleaned, painted, and revitalized
- $18,500+ in in-kind volunteer value generated in a single day
“Just looking at the total that we pulled in of trash,” said one of the Program’s organizers, “the amount of homes that we were able to service, the amount of volunteers that we had here in the community we collected over 2,000 pounds of trash. That is a huge impact.”
It is. And it’s a model that works.
To volunteer, sponsor, or learn more about upcoming IMPACT Cleanup Programs, visit www.cityofbartow.net or contact Cheryl Baksh at cbaksh@cityofbartow.net or 863-534-0100 Ext. 2771.
The Bartow Community Redevelopment Agency through HCP received a prestigious Telly Awards recognition for its Community IMPACT Program, Inspiring Meaningful Projects And Community Transformation, a volunteer driven initiative dedicated to neighborhood beautification and environmental enhancement throughout the CRA district. The program was established to engage residents, businesses, and community partners in meaningful revitalization efforts that improve the appearance and quality of residential and commercial areas. Community IMPACT projects include painting homes, minor landscaping improvements, street adoption initiatives, graffiti abatement, vacant lot clean-up, and debris removal along neighborhood streets and public spaces.
The Community IMPACT Program officially launched its first large scale community project on September 20, 2025 on Bartow’s East Community, generating tremendous community participation and measurable results. More than 183 volunteers participated in the initiative, contributing over $18,500 in donated volunteer time and services. During the project, volunteers painted nine homes, removed approximately 2,620 pounds of trash and debris, planted more than 47 shrubs and plants, and assisted with the beautification and clean up of multiple parks and neighborhood streets within the CRA district East End. The success of the program highlights the power of community collaboration and reinforces the CRA’s commitment to creating cleaner, safer, and more vibrant neighborhoods for residents and businesses throughout the City of Bartow. Thank you to
All the volunteers and community partners for Publix, Liberty Link Foundation 360, St. James AME, Mt Gilboa, OD Jones Constructions, and Keep Polk County Beautiful for making this project such a success.
