MARCH IS HERE and Northsiders are being urged to take part in the traditional campaign to spruce up the city of Jackson’s image.

Keep Jackson Beautiful (KJB) recently kicked off the Great American Cleanup. The annual campaign that targets litter removal is conducted nationwide by affiliates of Keep America Beautiful.

KJB Executive Director Marsha Hobson said the campaign is a great way for residents to clean up the city, while making new friends in the process. “We work with countless volunteers, community groups and kids who need community service hours for school,” she said. “It really brings people together.”

According to the national association’s Web site, the cleanup is “the nation’s largest community improvement program, involving an estimated three million volunteers and attendees.”Last year more than 6.7 million hours were logged “to clean, beautify and improve” thousands of communities across the nation.

In addition to improving the city’s aesthetics, Hobson said the campaign contributes to crime prevention and economic development. “If a neighborhood is dirty, folks litter,” she said, adding that people are less likely to throw their trash on the ground on clean streets and neighborhoods.

ON THE economic side, she pointed to figures provided by the national organization. She said unblemished areas with trees and plants have 11 percent more business than commercial areas that have been tarnished by litter.

Residents have the opportunity to get involved on March 21 in Belhaven Heights. The neighborhood association there is now planning an event. Anyone interested in planning a cleanup day can call Hobson for more information.

In addition to working to pick up litter, Hobson and others are hoping to get more Jackson schools involved in a garbage art contest slated for Earth Day on April 22. She said the judging will be held to coincide with an event planned by Sherman Lee Dillon.

The contest is open to students of all ages enrolled in Jackson’s public and private schools. “It is aimed at teaching students to recycle and reuse items that go into the trash,” she said. “It could be an art or science project, as long as students learn that there are items they can reuse.”

Several local artists will be judging the entries, including Fondren resident Bill Wilson. Wilson, co-president of the Citizens-Oriented Policing group for Precinct Four, wanted to get involved because he knows the impact of removing litter from the capital city.

As a former Birmingham resident, he’s seen firsthand what can be done when an area is cleaned up. “After TCI closed, Birmingham was changed from an industrial to a cultural city,” he said. “Huge swaths were cleaned up, and now it’s so beautiful.”

HE WOULD LIKE TO see the same thing happen in Jackson. And he hopes to see more participants in the upcoming art contest.

At the time of publication, only Lake Elementary had signed up. One other school was considering signing up, but hadn’t committed. Those interested in hosting a cleanup day or participating in the contest can call Hobson at (601)366-4842.