A salute to a snow-clearing hero: “It just felt easier to grab a shovel and do something”

The District has been sending out crews with big equipment to clear the heavy and hardened snowcrete from Connecticut Avenue intersections.

But neighbor Stefanie Sprow was out there first, armed only with a shovel.

Stefanie Sprow, at the southeastern corner of the Connecticut Avenue and Albemarle Street intersection on January 29th. “It just felt easier to grab a shovel and do something then keep feeling frustrated.”

Connecticut Avenue and Albemarle Street was the first intersection she dug out. It was January 29th, four days after the region’s biggest winter storm dropped seven inches of snow and sleet. Sprow saw two parents awkwardly carrying their strollers and their children over the snowcrete piles.

“I also watched a very pregnant woman carefully climb over on all fours – literally on hands and knees – presumably because she was afraid of slipping, and an older person with a walker walking in Connecticut Avenue because they couldn’t get over the curb cut safely,” Sprow told Forest Hills Connection.

This would not do. Sprow started digging at what she said was the first and most difficult spot: the east side of Connecticut and Albemarle, buried in snowcrete that was piled high and hardened by snowplows. It took her more than an hour.

“It was frustrating and concerning to see how hard it was for people to manage basic daily routines at such a busy corner. At some point it just felt easier to grab a shovel and do something then keep feeling frustrated.”

Sprow had also seen parents and children struggling to get through and over snowcrete piles on their way to Murch Elementary. So the next day, she shoveled three corners of the 36th and Davenport Street intersection by the school. Sprow then tackled Connecticut Avenue crossings at Cumberland and Chesapeake.

“I was on a bit of a roll at that point,” Sprow said.

The rest of the story, in her words:

I knew requests had already been placed with the city to clear intersections, but in that moment it felt wrong to just wait. I decided to walk home, grab a shovel, and get to work. I figured I might look a little odd shoveling public crossings, but I figured that if I were the one trying to get through those intersections, I would be grateful for a neighbor stepping in to help.

We also had several neighbors who were away during the storm, which meant their sidewalks went unshoveled and started to create challenges for people walking to the Metro and nearby schools. I reached out to a few families on our street with children to see if they’d be willing to tag-team those stretches and help clear them. It was really encouraging to see how quickly people stepped up — it truly showcased the kind of neighborly spirit that makes a difference during storms like this.

Young sidewalk-clearing helpers on January 31st.

I grew up in Buffalo, so I’m not intimidated by snow or the work it takes to clear it. Buffalo’s nickname is “The City of Good Neighbors,” and it really struck me in that moment what that means in practice. Sometimes people just need an example — or a nudge — to pitch in for each other.

I hope others can be encouraged to take initiative during the next storm and look for small ways to make walkways safer. Not everyone is physically able to shovel, of course, but everyone can look for some way to help after a storm.

Sometimes community care isn’t complicated — it’s just showing up with a shovel!