Storm Lake Proud expands to monthlong volunteer push for city projects

City leaders stretched Storm Lake Proud from a weeklong cleanup into a monthlong volunteer push, betting that a longer runway would bring in more residents, students and clubs for projects across town. Mayor Meg McKeon said the expanded timeline gave volunteers more flexibility to take on work in different parts of the community, turning the effort into a broader test of civic participation as much as a beautification campaign.

The city has already seen that participation take shape in visible ways. Storm Lake Elementary students planted flowers downtown and drew with chalk on sidewalks, college students took part in Buenafication Day projects, and 4-H members helped clean up beaches. Those early efforts showed the kind of hands-on work city leaders want to sustain through the month, with each group adding a different layer of care to public spaces that many residents use every day.

Storm Lake Proud Week began in 2019 under former Mayor Mike Porsch, but this year’s version widened into Storm Lake Proud Month as the city looked for a steadier volunteer rhythm. The change reflects a practical aim: instead of concentrating all the labor into one short burst, organizers want more time for more people to show up and for more projects to get done. The city is also asking groups to adopt parks and beaches for ongoing care, a sign that the effort is meant to outlast a single event day.

The volunteer list is concrete. Crews can pick up trash along railroad areas, paint concrete benches, scrape and paint picnic tables, clean the Discovery Center grounds, rake leaves in the Spooner Street rain gardens, paint park benches, work in the bandshell area and rake the Awaysis Beach shoreline. City leaders are also open to other project ideas, keeping the effort flexible enough for churches, schools, clubs and neighborhood groups that want to match a project to their own capacity.

McKeon also tied the monthlong push to a social goal that goes beyond curb appeal. She encouraged neighbors to check on one another, noting that signs of neglect can sometimes point to someone struggling. In that sense, Storm Lake Proud Month is being measured not only by cleaner beaches, painted benches and tidier green spaces, but by whether more people step forward to help keep Storm Lake connected, active and cared for.