Friday marks the one-year anniversary of our Downtown Ambassador Program. The program hit the ground running on September 15, 2022, and has made a big impact towards the ongoing improvement of Downtown Roanoke.
Our Ambassador Team works to make downtown an even better destination for residents, employees, and visitors. They serve as extra eyes and ears on the street, clean and improve public spaces, welcome and assist the public, reach out to those in need and help connect them with services, connect regularly with downtown businesses, and more.
Over the past year, our Ambassadors have accomplished a lot. Below are some highlights:
- Clean Activities o 98 power washing projects completed
- 101 backpack blower and billy goat hours completed o 736 biohazard clean ups o 749 block faces weeded
- 1,320 handbills, stickers, and graffiti items removed
- 1,898 small bulk trash items removed o 2,212 bags of litter collected o 1,745 small clean up jobs completed o 5,720 scooters relocated
- Hospitality Activities o 1,215 hospitality assists, directions, and escorts provided
- Outreach Activities: / 675 outreach referrals / 2,768 outreach contacts / 500 business contacts / 998 safety checks
- The team has also worked on special projects such as painting downtown fixtures, mulching, and event support.
The Ambassador Program is administered by Block by Block, a company that serves more than 120 urban districts, parks, and transit systems across the United States, and managed by DRI. The program is funded with significant investment from DRI, the City of Roanoke, Roanoke Foundation for Downtown, Inc., Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Foundation, and other downtown stakeholders.
This program is a community-wide effort and DRI has secured funding for the two-year pilot. We continue to actively seek additional funders to ensure the program continues forward. To learn more and find out how you can get involved, contact Tina Workman at [email protected].
For more information, about Downtown Roanoke, Inc. visit www.DowntownRoanoke.org. For more information about Block by Block, visit www.blockbyblock.com.