On Sunday, November 10, 2024, ASEZ members from California State University, Fresno held a street cleanup as part of the ongoing “Reduce Crime Together” campaign. Through this and other similar events, the club is aiming to make the society safer through various volunteer activities.
The Broken Windows Theory, which states that “a well-maintained environment signals that the area is monitored and that criminal behavior is not tolerated,” the club is hoping to make a difference in the surrounding areas through events such as these.
ASEZ Cleaning Up The Local Area
A total of 35 members from ASEZ participated in the event. They gathered at 8 AM and broke into two teams to cover all the designated area for cleanup. Through this event, the hope is to make a positive impact in the local area and set a positive example to help sustain a cleaner neighborhood and environment.
The cleanup area was at the entrance to downtown Fresno. This area was litter-invested and full of numerous transients. With the members dividing into two teams, a total of 46 bags of trash were collected. The volunteers worked together with a mind of unity and joy and carried out God’s will of being the salt and light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16).
An inside look at the ASEZ Club
The ASEZ club has been actively carrying out numerous events such as these for the past year-plus. In July, they cleaned up a local park and neighborhood that had also been filled with lots of trash and debris.
In August, they carried out a graffiti cleanup with help from the city of Fresno to cover up a graffiti-filled abandoned lot. Now, they went back to cleaning up trash in the streets and have hopes of carrying out more events in the near future.
The ASEZ Club is also in the process of planning and coordinating a Crime Prevention Forum. Locally, ASEZ clubs are established throughout the state, and Torrance held a cleanup in August of this year.
Global ASEZ Activities
From a worldwide glance, a Global ASEZ Conference was held in July 2024, to implement the Earth Recovery Project. Heavenly Mother, whom the Church of God believes in, always teaches the members of ASEZ to consider their neighbors and help the community.
ASEZ worldwide is also hoping to implement the SDGs of the United Nations. Currently, they are asking people interested to submit digital signatures and join the efforts, and details can be found at asez.org/sign.asez/.