Correspondent photo / Sean Barron ... Volunteers fill a space in downtown Youngstown with colorful petunias during the 29th annual StreetScape beautification project Saturday in all sectors of the city. This year’s event was themed “Red, White and Bloom” to honor the nation’s 250th anniversary.

YOUNGSTOWN — After having served his country, Jarrod Ruth was proud to serve an additional pair of “C’s:” the community and the city.

“We could all use a little more color in our lives, right?” Ruth, of Rome, Ohio, said.

Ruth, a Youngstown State University student majoring in business administration, gladly added more color to others’ lives — not to mention the city and larger community — via planting a series of closely-aligned purple petunias in a mulched flowerbed along Champion Street, downtown.

Ruth, who served nine years in the U.S. Army — four years of active duty and five years in the National Guard — also was among the volunteers who took time to beautify the corridor, as well as all parts of the city, because they took part in the 29th annual StreetScape beautification and cleanup effort Saturday morning.

An estimated 1,000 volunteers of all ages mulched, removed weeds and litter, and planted a variety of annuals during the three-hour project, themed “Red, White and Bloom,” to honor the nation’s 250th anniversary. That figure was on par with last year’s number of volunteers, Sharon Letson, Youngstown CityScape’s executive director, said.

Those who were not shy about getting their hands a bit dirty for a brighter cause included a mother and daughter who come each year from Detroit and who have connections to the Mahoning Valley, Letson added.

“My boss was one of the organizers for this event, and he tries to get a bunch of people to come down and show support,” Graham Bollenbacher, who has worked three years for Canfield-based Hill, Barth & KIng LLC, said.

Bollenbacher, of Cortland, busily and carefully filled a downtown flowerpot with petunias and other annuals. Providing a bit of assistance was Madelynn Horne, 6, of New Middletown, whose father also works for the business- and financial-consulting services company.

Beautifying the corridor with redolence and color is nothing new for Madelynn’s father and mother, Amanda Horne, who have been making at least 10 annual treks to the area for that purpose, Amanda said.

For that matter, Bollenbacher is a veteran volunteer, because he gave his time beautifying part of the city when he was a student in YSU’s Sokolov Honors College, he added.

For some, the StreetScape gathering truly was a family affair.

“It’s always really well organized,” Karen Considine, who worked in concert with her husband, Brendan Considine, said. “Perfection is our goal today.”

Arguably, the couple had perfection in the weather department, as they collaborated under clear skies with a temperature in the low 60s, coupled with low humidity and a steady breeze.

Specifically, they were assigned to remove, then bag litter and weeds from several medians along Walnut Street next to the downtown post office. The spaces contained special grasses and hedges that had recently been planted.

Contrary to some people’s beliefs and assumptions, the downtown corridor retains a high level of attractiveness, and efforts such as StreetScape’s highlight the area in that regard, Brendan Considine, Cardinal Mooney High School’s principal, said.

Last year, the couple cleaned and beautified a portion of Front Street, which took far longer than doing the same a few blocks away Saturday, Brendan Considine added.

This year’s coordinated effort was about more than flowers and mulch, however. It also represented a partnership with the downtown business community and “the Mahoning Valley at large,” Letson said, adding that the StreetScape committee worked all year to bring it to fruition.

The fruits of the project also will serve to further welcome those who visit the corridor for many reasons, including patronizing the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology, and numerous other entities, she said.

“This is an economic development tool, no question,” Letson added.

Other similar beautification efforts around the city took place at the Covelli Centre, Wick Park, Smoky Hollow, along Fifth Avenue near YSU, parts of the East Side and next to the Oscar D. Boggess Homestead marker, she noted.

“The sense of place is critical,” Letson said, adding that she also views the downtown corridor as a neighborhood.

Providing the grabbers, trash bags, gloves, shovels, rakes, brooms and a few lawn mowers was the Revitalization & Urban Beautification of Youngstown organization, which is under the Youngstown Health Department umbrella.