Dottie Pregil has lived in Kalihi Valley nearly 47 years and says she's fed up with all the things that give her community a bad name.

"Something needs to be done," she said.

So Pregil is on a mission to end drug dealing, illegal dumping and graffiti in Kalihi Valley — and she's enlisted dozens of her neighbors to help. Today, the group she founded last year to tackle problems in the valley, called Restore Our Community, will be out in force for its first major cleanup.

Volunteers in red shirts will paint over graffiti, pick up trash and clean sidewalks from 6 a.m. to noon along Kalihi Street in Kalihi Valley. Volunteers will also go door-to-door to pass out fliers to raise awareness of the group's goals.

Sitting on her lanai on a recent afternoon, Pregil said she just wants her granddaughter to grow up in the Kalihi Valley that she knew as a kid. And she added the message of taking back the community is resonating with others who also remember Kalihi Valley in better days and think working together can solve longtime issues. "The residents need to stop being so complacent," she said.

"Kalihi Valley was a pretty place," she added, "but it's trashed big time."

Pregil's group hopes today's cleanup is the first of a host of major gatherings to beautify the valley and unite residents to push out wrongdoers.

The group has already reached out to lawmakers and police in hopes of targeting problems, including drug dealing. Pregil and her group are also asking for a police "storefront" facility near Kalihi Uka park as another way to deter crime.

Kalihi police Maj. William Chur said the storefront proposal is a good one, though he doesn't currently have the funding or manpower to open it. "Having a storefront anywhere is a good idea," he said. "It's a matter of resources." Still, Chur said he applauds the group for seeking solutions.

And he said he is working with its members to pinpoint problem areas, including near Kalihi Uka park, which is next to Kalihi Uka Elementary School. "What I have told my uniformed officers is to be very vigilant in that particular area," Chur said. "Our officers have to tried to be more visible."

He added that patrols are also making more checks in the area.

Kalihi Valley is home to about 18,000 people, according to Census figures.

The community has a mix of longtime residents and newcomers.

Michanne Barroga, a member of Restore Our Community who has two children at Kalihi Uka Elementary School, grew up in Kalihi Valley. She said the community has gone downhill since she was a kid. "The environment in Kalihi Valley is so bad," Barroga said, adding it will only get worse if residents don't band together to kick out bad elements and take back the community.

Becky DeCorte, also a member of ROC and a longtime resident, said graffiti and dumping on the road have turned Kalihi Valley into a place residents are ashamed of. "We want our community back," she said. "We should all be looking out for each other so we can be proud we're from the valley."