Aug 10
26
Keep Columbia Beautiful
On Wednesday, August 25, 2010, Columbia and Marion County were presented with a certificate of affiliation with the Keep America Beautiful organization, the nation’s largest volunteer-based community improvement and education organization. The Keep Columbia & Marion County Beautiful Progam is now one of 29 cities/counties in the state that are associated with the Keep Mississippi Beautiful network and one of more than a thousand affiliate and participating organizations nationwide.
Keep Columbia & Marion County Beautiful will be working toward litter prevention, waste reduction and recycling, grafitti removal, beautification, and improvements that will make our community safer, more prosperous, and more livable. Statistics show that communities that implement these types of programs can increase retail sales, enhance tourism, improve education, and decrease crime rates significantly.
A special thanks goes to our local team of volunteers including: Rene Dungan, Wendell Holland, Allison Foxworth, Brenda Pounds, Nate Rios, Donald Hales, Randy Dyess, Martha Whitehead, Cheryl Bourne, and Vicki Boone, who all had to receive special training and complete a “term paper” to qualify for the certification and affliation with Keep America Beautiful.
The Marion County Development Partnership hosted the presentation, and representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, the city, the county, local law enforcement, and the media were present for the ceremony. Also present for the ceremony was Sarah Kountouris, the Executive Director for Keep Mississippi Beautiful. The certificate was awarded by the group’s trainer and Director of Affliate Certification, Cecille Carson.
Keep America Beautiful formed in 1953 in New York City, and is responsible for memorable PSA campaigns, such as those featuring TV’s Lassie and the commercials with the “Crying Indian,” as well as national programs such as the annual Great American Cleanup and the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program. If you would like to learn more about Keep America Beautiful, visit their website at http://www.kab.org/.
Let’s all do what we can to help with this important effort to clean up our community and to Keep Columbia & Marion County Beautiful.
Cecille Carson presents the Certificate of Affiliation with Keep America Beautiful to City of Columbia Mayor Reed Houston and Marion County Supervisor Calvin Newsom.
