Are you HomeProud? At Keep Liberty Beautiful, we hope so.
If you are proud of your home and yard, it will show in the loving care you have for your homestead. Often, it is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of work, family, friends, etc., that caring for our surroundings has to take a backseat to just surviving the rapid pace that we call life.
Recently, with our partner, the Coastal Courier, we kicked off a recognition program in Liberty County to highlight homes across our community each quarter. We ask each of you to take a look at your home and yard through the eyes of your neighbors, those who drive or walk by each day and even visitors to Liberty County.
I promise I am not superficial. I do know there is much more to life than outward appearances. I do know this, though: How we take care of our home space day in and day out has a powerful effect on us and those around us.
Our outward appearance of our homes reflects and affects, actually. How our home looks makes a powerful statement about who we are and even how we feel about ourselves. It may not be fair, but it is true. People make assumptions about us by how our homes look. It is just as significant that potential industries and businesses definitely make assumptions about our whole community and its potential by how clean and well-maintained it appears. They are not just looking at the public spaces, but also are looking at our neighborhoods and homes.
I hope you can see where I am going with this. If we want to improve our community, it really does start at home — yours and mine.
Let me be clear on this. It does not matter how much money you may have or how educated you are. All of us can keep our yards clean and litter- and junk-free. All of us can try to make our homes neat and trimmed. The appearance of our homes and neighborhoods reflects on us personally. Do we have self-respect? Do we have personal pride (and I mean the good kind of pride — not the kind that “goeth before a fall” in the Bible)?  
The appearances of our homes also affects us. There is a wonderful feeling about driving up to your home after a long, hard day when your home looks welcoming. It affects us personally and affects our neighbors. There is so much research that indicates that a neighborhood’s appearance and maintenance is a sign of whether the neighborhood is in decline.
So what do we do? Take a look. Does the yard need a trim? Do plants need some maintenance? Is a little weeding in order? Do any repairs need to be done? We want to select some homes across our county that have that HomeProud look — the kind of appearance that we would wish all of homes could have. We will have KLB friends and volunteers looking for homes, and those homeowners who deserve little pats on the back for taking care of our community one yard at a time.
Do you know of a home that deserves that kind of recognition? Call us at 880-4888 or email keeplibertycountybeautiful@gmail.com and share the address, the names of the homeowners and a cellphone picture if you can. Any home is eligible. We can be proud of homes across our community, no matter how modest or how lavish, as long as they are taken care of. Every day as I go to work, I pass a gentleman’s garden in Midway on Highway 84. It is a small plot of land in farm terms, but still large enough to require time and daily maintenance. It makes me smile every time I see it. No matter what time of year it is, that garden is neat, weed-free and just lovely. I come from farm stock, so I love farms. It is easy to tell when someone loves their farm or garden, because that care just shines through. Homes and yards are like that, too. Our hope is that, one day, all of us in Liberty County will be HomeProud.
For more information, contact us at KLB.