Majority Leader Ryan and Providence College Urban Action Volunteers
City Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5) hosted a community clean-up and stormwater management project on Pleasant Valley Parkway today with 125 incoming freshmen from Providence College. This event was part of the College’s Urban Action Summer Program from incoming first-year students.
“I was excited to meet some of Providence’s newest residents,” stated Majority Leader and Ward 5 Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan. “Having these students volunteer in our community is a great way for them to meet their neighbors, learn about their new home for the next four years, and to build lasting friendships.”
The volunteers from Providence College will be helping with a clean-up of the Pleasant Valley Parkway, along with working on the stormwater management project currently taking place on the Parkway. Majority Leader Ryan continued, “Stormwater mitigation is important to the ecosystem of the Pleasant Valley Parkway and stream. Because the Pleasant Valley Parkway is the largest section of the Woonasquatucket River that makes ground in a residential neighborhood, we must ensure that the area’s stormwater runoff is cleared of contaminants and pollutants. This is not only good for the environment but also benefits the Narragansett Bay cleaning effort.”
Ryan went on to say, “Green infrastructure has been a priority for me as a legislator. This is why I have been so passionate about stormwater management initiatives, green education, and my Plastic Bag Reduction Act. It was great to work with these new students from Providence College to make Providence greener and a more sustainable City.”
Urban Action is a five-day program for incoming first-year students at Providence College. It is designed to increase students’ understanding of urban issues while also introducing them to the Providence community. Students spend three days volunteering at local sites in the city of Providence, and one day volunteering on campus, helping fellow classmates move in.
In addition to the clean-up, Jonathan Bearard from Clean Water Action hosted a lunch and learn for the Providence College students at Roger Williams Hospital. Clean Water Action has worked to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking, and people power to the table around the Country since 1972.
Majority Leader Ryan partnered with the Armand E. Batastini Jr. Recreation Center, the Providence Parks Department, Providence Department of Public Works, Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, Partnership for Providence Parks, Friends of the Pleasant Valley Parkway, the Providence Police Department, the Providence Fire Department, Clean Water Action, and Roger Williams Medical Center to make this community clean-up possible.
For more information about Providence College Urban Action, or Providence College visit www.providence.edu.