Spring cleaning around Lakeview, West Hempstead

The hometown love is real for neighbors in Lakeview and West Hempstead. And what better way to show it than with a little spring cleaning? Lakeview gave the community a little TLC on April 20, and West Hempstead plans to do the same on Sunday.

One of the most important goals of the Lakeview Community Cleanup is to leave the world better than you found it, members of the Lakeview Civic Association say. It’s about creating something beautiful for the next generation, and also showing them how to organize efforts to fill needs in their neighborhoods. The LCA started the cleanup tradition, which is now four years old.

“For me personally, I’m at a stage in my life that I’m so grateful and want to leave legacies behind for me and my children to follow,” said Narda Martin, a member of the LCA who took part in the April 20 effort. “Coming out of the pandemic meant a new lease on life — perspective, mindset and what’s really important.”

Participation in something like a community cleanup costs nothing but your time, Martin added. The rewards are priceless, she said.

One of the core tenets of the LCA is to keep Lakeview beautiful. So its members identified areas that deserved a little extra care. The Long Island Rail Road station. The “Welcome to Lakeview” signs. Woodfield Road. The parks. Now, every year, families and friends gather to show their love for their community by cleaning up litter and planting flowers in its place. And by coming out to events like these, people get to know their neighbors.

“Events like these signal to our community that someone cares,” Martin said. “Nothing says they don’t care about where you live like when town property goes neglected.”

The West Hempstead Community Support Association shares that mindset: Showing your neighborhood you care. Getting young people involved in community service. Demonstrating the value of taking time out of your day to do something that helps you, the people you love, and even strangers. The group will dedicate Sunday to cleaning up Halls Pond Park.

“For the rest of the community, it shows the pride we have to keep our neighborhood looking the best it can,” said Maureen Greenberg, president of the WHCSA. Its members, she said, “look forward to seeing our neighbors at this event, to spend time together and help beautify our community.”

Plus, young people can get credit community service hours, which are required to graduate from high school.

Even if you missed the LCA cleanup and can’t attend the coming one at Halls Pond Park, you can still get involved, Martin said.

“Beautification doesn’t always mean holding a broom or trash bag,” she said. “Beauty can mean picking up extra flowers when you’re doing your own gardens, and adding to the flower pots and flower beds we’re installing with mulch. While going for a walk, adding some water to a plant baby in need can be your contribution.

“Nothing too small,” Martin added.

The Halls Pond cleanup is from 9 a.m. to noon, at 671 Nassau Blvd. in West Hempstead. Bring a rake, gloves and pruning shears.