ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Israel Ovalles from the Gregg Neighborhood House picks up trash on the traffic island in front of the building on Friday.
BY DILLON DURST
LYNN — Children from the Gregg Neighborhood House’s after school program helped make the city a little cleaner on Friday.
A handful of the program’s youngsters donned rubber gloves and collected trash on the traffic island in front of its building at 106 Broad St. The enthusiastic kids filled several trash bags.
Kim Ruma, the agency’s literacy coordinator, said the program provides after school care for 339 children, ages 5-14.
She said buses pick the children up after school and bring them to the center, where they are provided a snack. The children then visit the agency’s 14 rooms which offer a variety of themes, including science, technology, engineering and math activities and creative arts. There’s a gym and a library, where children receive homework help.
At 6 p.m., buses take the children home or parents pick them up.
Ruma, who has worked with Gregg House since 2012, said many staffers grew up participating in the program. There are also centers locations on Webster Street and Western Avenue.
Dillon Durst can be reached at ddurst@itemlive.com.