Join the Thomas Family to participate in a litter cleanup around the Southern High School Campus and along Clayton Road.

Volunteers will meet in the school parking lot to the north of the main building (entry from Clayton Rd). The group leader will send more details by email 1-2 days prior to the event.

Gloves, safety vests, litter grabbers, and trash bags will be provided. Please help reduce waste by bringing your own reusable water bottle. Wear sturdy shoes or boots, long pants, and dress for the weather. Supervised children aged 5 or older are welcome.

Contact Aaron Thomas at amthomas101@gmail.com with questions.

Please register below!

Join the Burch Avenue Neighborhood Association to participate in a litter cleanup around the Burch Ave Neighborhood (roughly Chapel Hill St, S. Buchanan, and Swift Avenue)

Volunteers will meet at the Community Garden at 833 Wilkerson Ave. The group leader will send more details by email 1-2 days prior to the event.

Gloves, safety vests, litter grabbers, and trash bags will be provided. Please help reduce waste by bringing your own reusable water bottle. Wear sturdy shoes or boots, long pants, and dress for the weather. Supervised children of all ages are welcome.

Contact group leader Ryder Sammons at sammonsmr@gmail.com with questions.

Please register below!

Join fellow volunteers and community members to participate in a litter cleanup along Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy, hosted by a KDB Litter Leader.

Volunteers will meet in the parking lot at the Durham Board of Elections (3825 S Roxboro St #101). Gloves, vests, litter grabbers and trash bags will be provided. This event is not recommended for volunteers under the age of 12. Volunteers under the age of 16 MUST be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the event.

Please contact Courtney McGuire at cm.mcguire17@gmail.com with any questions.

Join community members on Friday, September 25 from 3-5PM to remove harmful invasive plants from the Briggs Ave Community Garden & Preserve (1314 S Briggs Ave)

CLOSED TOED FOOTWEAR AND LONG PANTS ARE REQUIRED ATTIRE FOR THESE EVENTS. Any volunteers who show up wearing shorts and/or sandals will be turned away for their own safety. Long sleeves and tall socks are also recommended to protect from exposure to poison ivy, brambles, and insect bites.

Please bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated. Tools and gloves will be provided but we encourage volunteers with their own labeled pruners and saws to bring them along.

Volunteers between the ages of 13-15 must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the event. This type of event is not recommended for volunteers under the age of 13.

More information including specific meeting spot and parking details will be sent by email 1-2 days prior to the event.

register to attend below!

Looking for a way to give back to the Durham community? Become a Litter Leader!

Join us for an in-person Litter Leader Training on Tuesday, September 22 from 5:30PM-6:45PM at our offices at 2011 Fay Street. Parents with children are welcome to attend, and we will serve light refreshments.

We train litter leaders as part of our mission to build and maintain clean, green, and beautiful spaces. Litter Leaders are volunteers that are committed to litter prevention in Durham. Litter Leaders will be trained on litter cleanup safety, cleanup operating procedures, and the basics of volunteer leadership.

Once you have received training, we will provide the resources necessary to be a litter prevention advocate and lead KDB cleanup events. More information on the Litter Leaders Program can be found on our website at keepdurhambeautiful.org/litter-leaders.

Join community members on Friday, September 18 from 3-5PM and/or Saturday, September 19 from 9-11AM to remove harmful invasive plants from the Briggs Ave Community Garden & Preserve (1314 S Briggs Ave)

CLOSED TOED FOOTWEAR AND LONG PANTS ARE REQUIRED ATTIRE FOR THESE EVENTS. Any volunteers who show up wearing shorts and/or sandals will be turned away for their own safety. Long sleeves and tall socks are also recommended to protect from exposure to poison ivy, brambles, and insect bites.

Please bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated. Tools and gloves will be provided but we encourage volunteers with their own labeled pruners and saws to bring them along.

Volunteers between the ages of 13-15 must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the event. This type of event is not recommended for volunteers under the age of 13.

More information including specific meeting spot and parking details will be sent by email 1-2 days prior to the event.

register to attend below!

Join community members on Friday, September 18 from 3-5PM and/or Saturday, September 19 from 9-11AM to remove harmful invasive plants from the Briggs Ave Community Garden & Preserve (1314 S Briggs Ave)

CLOSED TOED FOOTWEAR AND LONG PANTS ARE REQUIRED ATTIRE FOR THESE EVENTS. Any volunteers who show up wearing shorts and/or sandals will be turned away for their own safety. Long sleeves and tall socks are also recommended to protect from exposure to poison ivy, brambles, and insect bites.

Please bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated. Tools and gloves will be provided but we encourage volunteers with their own labeled pruners and saws to bring them along.

Volunteers between the ages of 13-15 must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the event. This type of event is not recommended for volunteers under the age of 13.

More information including specific meeting spot and parking details will be sent by email 1-2 days prior to the event.

register to attend below!

Join Durham County Cooperative Extension, Keep Durham Beautiful and the City of Durham for our Tree Keeper Training Series! This three-part series will cover the basics of tree planting and care, and prepare you to lead small groups in tree plantings as a Durham Tree Keeper.

Class will be taught by Extension Horticulture Agent, Ashley Troth. For more information about the Durham Tree Keeper program, please visit https://keepdurhambeautiful.org/tree-keepers.

Dates: 9/15, 9/29, 10/13

Times: 3pm - 5pm

Location: Durham County Cooperative Extension - 721 Foster Street

Price: $30 for all three sessions

Needs-Based Scholarships: If you are interested in the program, but are financially unable to pay the class fee, please contact Ashley Troth (ashley_troth@ncsu.edu).

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS:

Session 1: The Dig Deep Details of Tree Planting | September 15, 2025 | 3pm - 5pm

Session 2: Structural Pruning for Success | September 29, 2025 | 3pm - 5pm

Session 3: Tree Planting Masters Session | October 13, 2025 | 3pm - 5pm

Join Love Your Block on Sunday, September 13 from 4-7PM and Sunday, Sept 27 from 4-6PM at Bright Black Candles to begin planting Proud Roots, a community-created scent garden coming to the main median at Lakewood Shopping Center. The garden honors the roots of Pauli Murray, particularly Aunt Pauline Fitzgerald Dame and grandparents Robert and Cornelia Fitzgerald, whose care, resilience, and commitment to education helped shape Pauli’s life and legacy. Help clear the site, prepare the soil, and get the garden ready for planting. No gardening experience is necessary! This is part of a project that received funding through the Love Your Block initiative.

There will be swag (t-shirts, hats, stickers) and snacks for volunteers and your participation gets you an invite into the exclusive Love Your Block Big Summer Blowout Cookout at the end of the season.

Join the Friends of Ellerbe Creek on Sunday, Sept 13 from 9AM-12PM to remove heavy items from Goose Creek (an Ellerbe Creek tributary) including tires, wheels, trash cans, shopping carts, a ride-on-mower and more!

Volunteers will use tow straps and ropes to haul the items up the banks with folks in the creek bed to ease the items out of the silt. This is a hard work, bring-your-muscles type event and is not suitable for children.

Send an email to friendsofellerbecreek@gmail.com to RSVP and to get further details.

Join the Bull City Trailblazers for a community cleanup in the Shady Oaks Neighborhood (near Shepard Middle School).

All supplies provided, suitable for all ages.

RSVP with Naadii Salaam at nadera.salaam@gmail.com.

On Saturday, September 12 from 9-11AM, join community members and the Love Your Block team with City of Durham for a volunteer workday to cut away the invasive plants crowding out the natural creek habitat at Carroll Street Park (815 Carroll St). Help restore the ecological habitat of a local park and increase green space available for our community's children. This is part of a project that received funding through the Love Your Block initiative.

There will be swag (t-shirts, hats, stickers) and snacks for volunteers and your participation gets you an invite into the exclusive Love Your Block Big Summer Blowout Cookout at the end of the season.

Join us on Second Fridays from 2:30-4:30PM to remove harmful invasive plants from the campus of the Museum of Life & Science (433 W Murray Ave) with Rewild NC!

Additional dates: October 9, November 13

CLOSED TOED FOOTWEAR AND LONG PANTS ARE REQUIRED ATTIRE FOR THESE EVENTS. Any volunteers who show up wearing shorts and/or sandals will be turned away for their own safety. Long sleeves and tall socks are also recommended to protect from exposure to poison ivy, brambles, and insect bites.

Please bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated. Tools and gloves will be provided but we encourage volunteers with their own labeled pruners and saws to bring them along.

Volunteers between the ages of 13-15 must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the event. This type of event is not recommended for volunteers under the age of 13.

More information including specific meeting spot and parking details will be sent by email 1-2 days prior to the event.

Join Keep Durham Beautiful for a morning of service along Blackwell Street, just South of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. We will meet near the start of the American Tobacco Trail. Tasks will include pruning and mulching young street trees, picking up litter, and clearing sidewalks of dirt and debris for improved walkability.

This event is open to individuals ages 8 and up. Participants under 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

Please wear sturdy, closed-toed shoes or boots, pants and long sleeves, and bring a reusable water bottle. Tools and gloves will be provided.

Let us know you’re coming below!

Join Love Your Block on Thursday, September 10 from 4-6PM and Saturday, Sept 12 from 3-5PM at Lakewood Elementary School Community Garden to paint a mural to beautify the Family Resource Center. The FRC serves the Lakewood community with food, toiletry, and other consumer good needs as well as providing connection to resources around housing, employment, and transit. No mural or painting experience necessary and all tools will be provided! Come help make one of our elementary schools a little more beautiful and welcoming. This is part of a project that received funding through the Love Your Block initiative.

There will be swag (t-shirts, hats, stickers) and snacks for volunteers and your participation gets you an invite into the exclusive Love Your Block Big Summer Blowout Cookout at the end of the season.

Are you single, care about your community, and looking for a like-minded love (or new friends)? If so, Durham’s Love Your Block program has got you covered!

Join us at Carroll Street Park (815 Carroll Street) on Wednesday September 9th from 5:30-7PM as we partner with Love Your Block to remove invasive plants and restore the park's biodiversity. Afterwards, Love Your Block will host a dinner mixer for single residents to get to know each other, make friends, and perhaps even find love. This idea came about from a similar program in Minnesota!

If you have any questions, reach out to dominique.beaudry@durhamnc.gov

Join us to welcome the new chair of the Durham Bee City Committee (DBCC), Paula Alexander, and to say thanks and farewell to our outgoing chair, Sarah Hassan! This will be a casual social event at Honeygirl Meadery in the American Tobacco Campus (312 Blackwell St).

The Durham Bee City Committee is a volunteer group that promotes and facilitates the education, conservation, and prosperity of our native and honeybee populations in and near Durham County. The group is made up of representatives from various City and County departments, businesses, and nonprofits, as well as individuals, and has been meeting since 2015. Durham received the official designation as a Bee City USA on June 6, 2016.

Come meet the new and outgoing chair as well as other DBCC members, and learn more about how you can get involved!

Join community members on Friday, August 28 to remove harmful invasive plants from Carroll Street Park (815 Carroll Street).

CLOSED TOED FOOTWEAR AND LONG PANTS ARE REQUIRED ATTIRE FOR THESE EVENTS. Any volunteers who show up wearing shorts and/or sandals will be turned away for their own safety. Long sleeves and tall socks are also recommended to protect from exposure to poison ivy, brambles, and insect bites.

Please bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated. Tools and gloves will be provided but we encourage volunteers with their own labeled pruners and saws to bring them along.

Volunteers between the ages of 13-15 must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the event. This type of event is not recommended for volunteers under the age of 13.

More information including specific meeting spot and parking details will be sent by email 1-2 days prior to the event.

register to attend below!

Join community members on Friday, August 21 and/or Saturday, August 22 from 9-11AM to remove harmful invasive plants from Campus Hills Park (2000 S Alston Ave).

CLOSED TOED FOOTWEAR AND LONG PANTS ARE REQUIRED ATTIRE FOR THESE EVENTS. Any volunteers who show up wearing shorts and/or sandals will be turned away for their own safety. Long sleeves and tall socks are also recommended to protect from exposure to poison ivy, brambles, and insect bites.

Please bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated. Tools and gloves will be provided but we encourage volunteers with their own labeled pruners and saws to bring them along.

Volunteers between the ages of 13-15 must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the event. This type of event is not recommended for volunteers under the age of 13.

More information including specific meeting spot and parking details will be sent by email 1-2 days prior to the event.

register to attend below!

Join community members on Friday, August 21 and/or Saturday, August 22 from 9-11AM to remove harmful invasive plants from Campus Hills Park (2000 S Alston Ave).

CLOSED TOED FOOTWEAR AND LONG PANTS ARE REQUIRED ATTIRE FOR THESE EVENTS. Any volunteers who show up wearing shorts and/or sandals will be turned away for their own safety. Long sleeves and tall socks are also recommended to protect from exposure to poison ivy, brambles, and insect bites.

Please bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated. Tools and gloves will be provided but we encourage volunteers with their own labeled pruners and saws to bring them along.

Volunteers between the ages of 13-15 must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the event. This type of event is not recommended for volunteers under the age of 13.

More information including specific meeting spot and parking details will be sent by email 1-2 days prior to the event.

register to attend below!

Join the Friends of Ellerbe Creek to recover staged bags from previous cleanup events and collect new trash from the shoreline.

If you have one, bring your 4-wheel drive vehicles to shuttle bags to roadside, or a wheelbarrow/cart to move bags to the vehicle collection point. Gloves, grabbers, and bags will be provided. This event is not suitable for volunteers under the age of 16.

Please send an email to friendsofellerbecreek@gmail.com to RSVP.

Join Bike Durham and Keep Durham Beautiful for a morning of community service as we clean up the bike lane along North Miami Boulevard and the bus stop at Miami Boulevard and Raynor Street, known by many as “The Village.”

Everyone deserves safe, clean, and welcoming places to walk, bike, and wait for the bus. By spending a few hours picking up litter and improving this important transportation corridor, we’ll help make the area more inviting for everyone who relies on it every day.

No experience is necessary. Gloves, litter grabbers, trash bags, and other cleanup supplies will be provided. Just wear comfortable clothes, closed toe shoes, and bring a water bottle.

Meeting Location: The bus stop at Miami Boulevard and Raynor Street (“The Village”)

Time: 9:00 AM to approximately 12:00 PM

Together, we can make Durham’s streets safer, cleaner, and more welcoming for everyone.

On Saturday, August 15 from 9-11AM, join community members and the Love Your Block team with City of Durham for a volunteer workday to cut away the invasive plants crowding out the natural creek habitat at Carroll Street Park (815 Carroll St). Help restore the ecological habitat of a local park and increase green space available for our community's children. This is part of a project that received funding through the Love Your Block initiative.

There will be swag (t-shirts, hats, stickers) and snacks for volunteers and your participation gets you an invite into the exclusive Love Your Block Big Summer Blowout Cookout at the end of the season.

Join fellow volunteers and community members to participate in a litter cleanup along Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy, hosted by a KDB Litter Leader.

Volunteers will meet in the parking lot at the Durham Board of Elections (3825 S Roxboro St #101). Gloves, vests, litter grabbers and trash bags will be provided. This event is not recommended for volunteers under the age of 12. Volunteers under the age of 16 MUST be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the event.

Please contact Courtney McGuire at cm.mcguire17@gmail.com with any questions.

Join Southside/St Theresa community members to participate in a litter cleanup in the Southside Neighborhood, hosted by the Southside Neighborhood Assocation.

Volunteers will meet at 201 W. Enterprise St. at 9AM on Saturday, August 15. Gloves, vests, litter grabbers and trash bags will be provided.

Please help us reduce waste by bringing your own reusable water bottle. Wear sturdy shoes or boots, long pants, and dress for the weather. Supervised children of all ages are welcome.

Register to attend below!

Join us on Second Fridays from 2:30-4:30PM to remove harmful invasive plants from the campus of the Museum of Life & Science (433 W Murray Ave) with Rewild NC!

Additional dates: September 11, October 9

CLOSED TOED FOOTWEAR AND LONG PANTS ARE REQUIRED ATTIRE FOR THESE EVENTS. Any volunteers who show up wearing shorts and/or sandals will be turned away for their own safety. Long sleeves and tall socks are also recommended to protect from exposure to poison ivy, brambles, and insect bites.

Please bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated. Tools and gloves will be provided but we encourage volunteers with their own labeled pruners and saws to bring them along.

Volunteers between the ages of 13-15 must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the event. This type of event is not recommended for volunteers under the age of 13.

More information including specific meeting spot and parking details will be sent by email 1-2 days prior to the event.

Join fellow volunteers and community members to participate in a litter cleanup along Mineral Springs Rd on Saturday, August 1 from 9:30-11AM.

Volunteers will meet at two different starting points. Participants will be instructed beforehand by email what location to meet at.

Location 1: Carli C's 3729 Wake Forest Hwy, Durham, NC 27703

Location 2: 36.001702, -78.800754 End of N Mineral Spring Rd at the intersection of Stallings and Fletcher Chapel Rd

Gloves, vests, litter grabbers and trash bags will be provided.

This event is not suitable for volunteers under the age of 15.

Please RSVP with Brittany Fechter at brittanyfechter@gmail.com with at least 48 hours notice.

Join fellow volunteers and community members to participate in a litter cleanup along Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy, hosted by a KDB Litter Leader.

Volunteers will meet in the parking lot at the Durham Board of Elections (3825 S Roxboro St #101). Gloves, vests, litter grabbers and trash bags will be provided. This event is not recommended for volunteers under the age of 12. Volunteers under the age of 16 MUST be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the event.

Please contact Courtney McGuire at cm.mcguire17@gmail.com with any questions.

Join Echo Entrepreneurs on several dates in July from 9-11AM to help remove invasive plants from a forested area around a paper street near Lakewood Shopping Center, led by KDB IPR Leader Megan Brame.

Project Dates:

• Sunday, July 12, 9-11AM

• Sunday, July 19, 9-11AM

• Saturday, July 25, 9-11AM

Volunteers will meet on the right side of the Scrap Exchange parking lot. Please wear sturdy, closed-toed shoes or boots, pants and long sleeves, and bring a reusable water bottle. Tools and gloves will be provided but we encourage volunteers with their own labeled pruners and saws to bring them along. This event is not recommended for youth under the age of 13.

Please RSVP to Megan Brame at meganbrame.pac@gmail.com with at least 48 hours notice.

On July 25 from 9-11AM, join community members and the Love Your Block team with City of Durham for a volunteer workday to cut away the invasive plants crowding out the natural creek habitat at Carroll Street Park (815 Carroll St). Help restore the ecological habitat of a local park and increase green space available for our community's children. This is part of a project that received funding through the Love Your Block initiative.

There will be swag (t-shirts, hats, stickers) and snacks for volunteers and your participation gets you an invite into the exclusive Love Your Block Big Summer Blowout Cookout at the end of the season.