After a day of cleaning and beautifying a vacant lot in Kensington, the Wells Fargo Foundation formally presented a $750,000 grant to the New Kensington CDC in order to continue their work with the community.

On Saturday, NKCDC partnered with other community organizations to restore a vacant blacktop lot on Helen Street in the Kensington neighborhood. More than 100 bags of trash were collected thanks to the dozens of volunteers who showed up early Saturday morning.

Somerset Neighbors for Better Living, Keep Philly Beautiful, PowerCorpsPHL, MilkCrate, and scads of devoted neighborhood residents all got their hands dirty. The Philadelphia Police Department even helped haul out some trash.

The end result: a safe space, a newly painted basketball court, some potted plants, and a sense of how little it takes to make a difference.

“It’s amazing what sixty people can do in just a few hours,” said one neighborhood resident, looking at the transformed lot.

Denise McGregor Armbrister, executive director of the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation, expressed her confidence in NKCDC's community leadership.

“The work you accomplished here today reflects the work we believe in,” she said.

The $750,000 grant will support the NKCDC’s resident-driven North of Lehigh Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, which will be implemented over the next five years.

Similar cleanups occurred in neighborhoods across the city as part of the city's 8th annual Philly Spring Cleanup initiated by Mayor Michael Nutter.

[node:field_slideshow]