Hazel Park Civic Action Network Takes to the Streets – to Clean!
(Terry Lakins, May 16, 2026)
Hazel Park, MI – Throughout Oakland County one of the ways people are making a difference in their community is by simply cleaning up the roads. The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) allows certain roads to be adopted, where they are cleaned up at least twice a year, on a seasonal basis. That is what Katherine Ellywicz is doing in her native city of Hazel Park. Ellywicz, 34, is part of the Hazel Park Civic Action Network (HPCAN for short) a small group of Hazel Park residents who decided to step up. HPCAN formed in January 2025 and while still new, Ellywicz liked being able to make an impact in a quick way.
“We’re Hazel Park specific because it’s close to home and it’s where we want to have our local impact,” Ellywicz said. “We’re a very small group, between 10 and 15 people, and twice a year we’ll come out and clean the road for an hour and half to two hours. It’s not a huge commitment but it is still a commitment to making your local community better.”
The stretch of road they have adopted is 10 Mile Road, between John R and Dequindre. The road commission provides equipment, such as trash bags and works vests for visibility, for the cleanup, and they will handle the pickup of the trash after being notified the job is done. Safety training is also provided, which focuses on what part of the road to walk on and certain objects to avoid picking up. Their cleanup is during the spring and fall seasons, where they have a window of dates during those times that the cleanup can be executed through. Both sides of the road have a sign that says adopt-a-road HPCAN on it, which was provided by the road commission. Ellywicz likes the sign because it shows a physical representation of the commitment the group has made to their neighborhood.
The most surprising thing to learn about the process of adopting a road is quite accessible. It’s as simple as filling out a form on RCOC website and giving the name of the organization or as an individual. This is where the accessibility of it comes in. As an organization it doesn’t require an EIN like an official licensed business, a 501c3 non-profit group, or anything large and official. It could be as simple as a neighborhood group or a block club. Not requiring the official backing of a big organization allows anyone determined enough to make their bid or to not have to contend with complicated bureaucracy.
Even a single person can do this, though actually cleaning a mile to a two-mile stretch of road solo would be quite challenging. If it takes around 15 people two hours to do this task, a single person attempting to do that same would struggle to accomplish this in a meaningful timeframe. It should be noted that there are only a limited number of roads specifically available, which must be administered by the commission. This varies by city and a lot of local roads, your typical streets where houses are, aren’t available.
In addition to cleaning 10 Mile Road, HPCAN has also picked up trash at Green Acres Park, Scout Park, and the roads surrounding Sutar-Sutaruk-Meyer Foundation Park.
They have also volunteered at the Hazel Park District Library by helping them put together furniture and organize their backroom, and at Longfellow Community Center by putting together tables and donating puzzles and board games to their game room. Most notably in October 2025, they organized a nonpartisan candidate forum with the League of Women Voters. In summer 2026 they plan to sponsor the kid’s art tent at the Hazel Park Art Fair (which will run on August 22nd & 23rd).
For Ellywicz there is a big social component to all of this. Feeling the isolation from the pandemic and having that innate need to connect with those around her, this effort felt like a great way to do so. Now she has a sense of getting connected with people and neighbors around her in the Hazel Park community.
The seasonal cleanups even have a ritual of getting food and drinks at a local eatery, Kozy Lounge, located along the same road they have dedicated to cleaning up. She also added that simply cleaning something up or just volunteering with your neighbor is accessible because it doesn’t require learning special skills or anything complicated. Ellywicz had this to say overall on her experience:
“There is a lot of cynicism and division right now, so HPCAN is focusing on being non-partisan, having positive impact on our community, have purpose, and make friends. Local impact on your community does make a difference, even if it feels small, and the cleanups matter to the people who walk that road. I’m grateful to be able to do community work through HPCAN, and I’m also grateful that the Oakland County Road Commission gives this opportunity to people.”
For more information on adopting a road visit the RCOC website at https://rcocweb.org/218/Adopt-A-Road for more details. For more on HPCAN check out https://hpcan.org/
