BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — At the first metro council meeting for 2025, council members introduced a new initiative to help clean run-down areas in North Baton Rouge. Councilmembers Darryl Hurst of District 5 and Anthony Kenney of District 2 were among many who spoke about the 'Keep JaguarNation Beautiful' initiative for North Baton Rouge. This is the first of its kind for the area. Jennifer Richardson, founder of 'Keep Tiger Town Beautiful' in South Baton Rouge, said this is exciting to see the new plan come to life. She said with programs like this, it isn't meant to be short-term. "This isn't an event that needs to happen, you know, once or twice a year, because that's not going to fix the problem," said Richardson. She said after having trouble looking for more volunteers outside of the area, help started pouring in. Hurst was one of the people who she said reached out to her on the name and the motive behind creating the new initiative. They say this is a collaborative effort, providing services for both major parts of the parish. Scotlandville Community Development Incorporation President Pat Mcallister-Leduff said there have only been about 200 clean-ups around north Baton Rouge since 1993. She said it's all about resources to continue the work. "Jennifer has done a great job in the south. And now those efforts are coming north to join in with the efforts that are already there. So, we're not recreating anything. We've already been doing this. But You got to have resources," she said. The initiative is named in honor of Southern University being in north Baton Rouge. Southern University's Chancellor John Pierre said this initiative opens the door for more opportunities for students to help the surrounding communities. "Whenever Southern University can bring its resources and students to participate in something that benefits the community, this is what we ought to be doing. We cannot succeed if our community around us doesn't succeed," said Pierre. East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards speaks future goals, unifying city Richardson said they have also started planning partnerships with neighboring schools like Scotlandville Magnet High School and Southern Lab. Mayor-President Sid Edwards congratulated them on the new program and said he was excited to see the work being done. He mentioned at the meeting this is one of his plans for his blight initiative for north Baton Rouge. The first trash pickup will be at 8 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 18 in north Baton Rouge. Latest News Why did fire hydrants go 'dry' for crews fighting an LA fire? 'Keep Jaguar Nation Beautiful' cleaning initiative set to launch in north Baton Rouge East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards speaks future goals, unifying city Trump, GOP senators wrestle over strategy for president-elect's agenda Trump says it 'doesn’t matter' how GOP passes his agenda: 'The end result is the same’