Greensburg cleanup earns $10,000 donation

The tornado-ravaged community of Greensburg is in the spotlight again -- this time for a cleanup effort that volunteers organized last fall.

Community members, determined to rid the town of the huge piles of rubble left over from the storm, organized a cleanup weekend in October. The event was submitted as a project for USA Weekend's Make a Difference Day, which led to national recognition and a $10,000 donation for the town.

"It bothered me that there was still so much to be cleaned around town," said Ruth Ann Wedel, a Greensburg resident who was part of the project. "I wanted to get out and help."

The cleanup weekend involved 260 volunteers -- 95 of them Greensburg residents who were mostly dealing with their own personal property losses.

"The best way to explain it is that during those two days, Greensburg was like a beehive of activity," said project volunteer Jim Keith. "There were people everywhere. We had farmers driving trucks and bankers and lawyers driving loaders.

"It just made you feel good to see the progress."

The $10,000 will go toward preservation of Greensburg's Big Well, an attraction that is a popular piece of town history.

"It's early to say exactly what it will be used for with the Big Well," Wedel said. "But one of the big things we need in our community is tax revenue, and the Big Well is one of those things that can generate that for us."

Wedel said being able to do the cleanup was a reward in itself. Being selected for Make a Difference Day -- which receives millions of participants who volunteer to help with community projects -- made the effort even more special, she said.

The Greensburg project was one of 10 projects chosen.

USA Weekend is spotlighting the winners in its latest edition, and Greensburg is featured prominently: Wedel and Jim and Joyce Keith are pictured on the cover.

"The county and city both helped out and it was a neat time for everyone to pull together," Wedel said, recalling the cleanup. "We were taking pride in our community and doing something for ourselves."