The coalition, formed in 1999, is a nonprofit organization that aims to bring community members together and build better relationships between students and permanent residents.

Participants were able to get acquainted with one another and meet their neighbors while working together to clean up off-campus neighborhoods near the downtown.

Trash bags, gloves and refreshments were provided to all volunteers.

“The mission is to learn a sense of responsibility for our community,” said Ryan McCafferty, a coalition intern.

McCafferty said the cleanup was more successful this year because of a larger crop of volunteers from throughout the city who came out to help.

Annual neighborhood cleanups are organized each year after home football games and often include help from other student groups, including the greek community.

The Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council also assisted with the event, constructing a committee of 15 people to work on neighborhood cleanup event planning.

“It’s an awesome thing to do, especially since we share this community with East Lansing residents,” said Alex Barone, the vice president of external relations for the Interfraternity Council. “Events like neighborhood cleanups not only help our relationship with the CRC, but with local residents as well.”

Communications senior and former coalition intern Tony Biallas started the initiative between the coalition and the greek community to cooperate with one another for various events.

He said fostering a healthy relationship between students and neighborhood residents could help prevent major problems in the future.

“The greek community did one big neighborhood cleanup last year, but has already executed three this year,” he said. “I’m hoping the initiative continues to grow.”