Our story
Neighbors caring for neighborhoods.
Civic Bloom was founded in Louisville, Kentucky to address a simple problem: certain neighborhoods in our city need consistent care that established programs do not always provide. We aim to rectify this with our neighbors, on foot, one block at a time.
Our story
Co-founders Jake Nevitt (left) and Kevan Manning (right) met in 2025 while working for Louisville-based nonprofit AMPED. They quickly bonded over a shared sense of ambition and a passion for helping their local community. Before long, they were sharing ideas and drawing up plans for a project that would aim to revitalize the streets of Louisville's West End and beyond; the seeds of something great were sown. This planning culminated in the first-ever Scene Cleaning in April 2026. This event, the first of many Scene Cleanings, would serve as the unofficial launch of Civic Bloom.
A cleaner, safer Louisville, where public spaces are inviting and encourage community. Imagine streets where families feel comfortable walking, business fronts free of debris, and parks that look loved. That vision belongs to all of us, and it starts with the places we pass by every day.
Civic Bloom is a small, grassroots organization operating in your neighborhood and led by your neighbors. We are a volunteer-based community initiative with the aim of revitalizing Louisville's most overlooked public spaces, especially in lower-income neighborhoods, by removing litter and debris, one block at a time.
We organize Scene Cleanings: planned volunteer pickups along set routes in neighborhoods that need them most. We coordinate with established community partners like Operation Brightside to make sure each event is safe, well-equipped, and welcoming to first-time volunteers.
Where the name comes from
Phlox blooms quietly across Louisville every spring, often in places no one planted it. Civic Bloom is named for that same idea: small, persistent care that turns overlooked corners into something worth seeing.
What we do
Scene Cleanings
A Scene Cleaning is a planned volunteer litter pickup along a set route in a Louisville neighborhood that needs focused attention. Each event is short, organized, and welcoming to anyone who wants to help.
Steps of a Scene Cleaning:
We plan the route
We look for heavily-littered areas where a Scene Cleaning would make the biggest difference.
Volunteers gather
Neighbors meet at the staging point. We hand out bags, grabbers, and gloves and discuss routes and safety protocols.
We get to work
Teams walk the route, collect litter and debris, and consolidate everything for proper disposal.
What to bring
Honestly, just yourself. We supply the rest.
- Closed-toe shoes you can walk in
- Weather-appropriate clothing
- A reusable water bottle if you have one
- A friend, if you'd like the company
Recent Work
July 4, 2026 · California