OLYMPIA — A community cleanup of trash and dirty needles has been organized by a Facebook page that pokes fun at Olympia.
So far, Olympia Memes has recruited 14 sponsors and 16 teams of volunteers for “Oly Clean in 2014.” The inaugural event will take place all day March 22 at sites throughout the city, and will culminate with a pizza party to thank participants.
Although best known for posting off-beat photos that joke about Olympia’s stereotypes and shortcomings, Olympia Memes is serious about safer parks and streets. The manager behind Olympia Memes, who maintains anonymity, talked to The Olympian through Facebook chat about investing in the community.
“When I found myself making memes about needles downtown and feeling they were way more sad than funny, I knew it was time to do something, and that’s how Oly Clean was born,” the manager wrote. “The message in this event isn’t for our city leaders as much as it is for the individual. My hope is that we can capture a sense of real community that hasn’t been felt in our area in a long time.”