Neighbor Spotlight: Lawrence Whitney Cares About Your Commute!

8/31/2026 · Neighborhood Team

One of the best parts about living in Villa Park is access to our beautiful outdoor spaces. The gulch is a beautiful amenity, and our proximity to it is one reason why many people choose to live here. The natural enemy of these beautiful spaces is trash. Whether it blows out of a trash can or is carelessly tossed out of a car window, trash makes our natural (and man-made) spaces far uglier and less pleasant to be around. That is one reason why we have a neighborhood Green Team, and why the Gulch Garbage Grabbers are active every week during the warm months of the year.

It’s also why Lawrence Whitney, who lives off Knox Court, decided to adopt not one, but two RTD bus stops! “I love trash in bins more than outside of them!” Lawrence said when we spoke with him, “I would frequently find litter along the street and there were no trash cans right along the sidewalk. Adding a trash can seemed like an easy way to help keep the area clean.” Every piece of trash that goes in the can is one that might have ended up on the sidewalk or street, and ultimately even the gulch, so these bins go a long way.

The stops that Lawrence adopted are at 10th and Knox where the Mini Mart and Liquor Store ensure a constant churn of neighbors and visitors. That’s part of why Lawrence is interested in keeping the place clean, he told us “A cleaner stop is more pleasant to walk around and feels more welcoming for riders and people walking by. I want others to see that people in the community care.” It’s not just about the cleanliness, though. Lawrence also cares about public transportation in our neighborhood, making it easier to ride RTD in a comfortable manner, “Bus stop amenities make for a much more pleasant transit experience. Small improvements by the neighborhood, like trash cans and benches, can make riding the bus a much more dignified experience” he said.

Actions like this are what we want to cultivate and celebrate in Villa Park FANs. If that sounds like something you’re interested in, please join us! Thanks for everything you do, Lawrence!