As cold as it has been this winter, we’ve recently seen a few hints that spring is on the way. The season is Keep Liberty County Beautiful’s busiest time of year. Each year, we participate in the Great American Cleanup — KLCB’s “signature” national cleanup event.
The annual GAC is from March 1-May 31. Technically, the cleanup got under way when we hosted several Arbor Day events Feb. 19 in conjunction with Georgia’s State Arbor Day. KLCB also recenlty had a Recycle It! Fair, where approximately two tons of electronics and household hazardous waste items were collected. We also have collected a half ton of telephone books from local residents for recycling. But there is much more on the way!
Our theme for this year’s Great American Cleanup is “It’s a small, small, world … and if you help, we can get it cleaned up.” It is tied in with Disney’s volunteer ticket promotion, “Give a Day, Get a Day.”
We’ve had lots of fun with cleanup challenges in past years, so get your mouse ears on and get ready for a challenge. We have several “challenge coaches” who are looking for businesses, clubs, schools organizations and civic groups to take the challenge and get involved. These coaches mean business. They plan to eradicate litter in their communities. If you haven’t been recruited yet, call the KLCB office and we’ll hook you up with a challenge.
Here is an overview of our upcoming events. These outings can only be successful with the support and participation of local residents.
• March 13 and April 10: Neighborhoods and communities day.
We invite all local neighborhoods and communities to select either of these days or another suitable date to spruce up their areas as a part of the GAC. Now is the time to plan a cleanup or beautification project for your neighborhood. Communities that are registered will receive water for volunteers and cleanup supplies, including on-loan litter reachers, work gloves and safety vests. All particpants receive Great American Cleanup T-shirts and each neighborhood gets a “N.E.A.T. Neighborhood” recognition sign to display for a quarter.
Make it a fun day by having a block party or potluck lunch for volunteers when the project is finished.
• March 27, April 10, April 17: Small towns, big cleanup days.
Most of our towns — Riceboro, Midway, Flemington, Gum Branch and Walthourville — have already set their big cleanup days, and they will be providing lunch for volunteers. Many municipalities had their largest cleanups ever last year, so they are ready to exceed those numbers now by getting many local residents, businesses and churches to lend a hand. We hope to have 100 percent participation from Liberty County municipalities this year.
• March-May: Campus cleanups.
All local schools and colleges are encouraged to plan campus cleanups or roadside cleanups during the Great American Cleanup. We already have a couple school clubs signed up. All participating schools will receive cleanup supplies and on-loan tools for their projects. We will have awards for the schools with the most participation.
• April 24: City of Hinesville cleanup day.
The city of Hinesville’s cleanup is part of Georgia Cities Week. Once again, we will have supplies, tools and GAC T-shirts for volunteers. The city will also have a tailgate for hungry volunteers when they are finished.
Yes, spring is a busy but fun time for our community. In the past four years, we’ve watched these cleanups and other activities grow dramatically in participation. I would be remiss if I did not point out that the credit for that increase is due not only to local residents who care about the community, but also to the support and guidance the program has received during the years from my supervisor, David C. Sapp, director for Liberty County’s Solid Waste Department.
Dave is retiring this week and he will be sincerely missed by everyone who works with him. His knowledge and unique ability to envision what is needed to grow and improve programs and services are not easy to find. We thank you for your years of dedicated service, Dave. Thankfully, though, Dave will remain active on our Keep Liberty County Beautiful advisory council.
For more information on Keep Liberty County Beautiful programs, contact Swida at 880-4888 or klcb@coastalnow.net.
The annual GAC is from March 1-May 31. Technically, the cleanup got under way when we hosted several Arbor Day events Feb. 19 in conjunction with Georgia’s State Arbor Day. KLCB also recenlty had a Recycle It! Fair, where approximately two tons of electronics and household hazardous waste items were collected. We also have collected a half ton of telephone books from local residents for recycling. But there is much more on the way!
Our theme for this year’s Great American Cleanup is “It’s a small, small, world … and if you help, we can get it cleaned up.” It is tied in with Disney’s volunteer ticket promotion, “Give a Day, Get a Day.”
We’ve had lots of fun with cleanup challenges in past years, so get your mouse ears on and get ready for a challenge. We have several “challenge coaches” who are looking for businesses, clubs, schools organizations and civic groups to take the challenge and get involved. These coaches mean business. They plan to eradicate litter in their communities. If you haven’t been recruited yet, call the KLCB office and we’ll hook you up with a challenge.
Here is an overview of our upcoming events. These outings can only be successful with the support and participation of local residents.
• March 13 and April 10: Neighborhoods and communities day.
We invite all local neighborhoods and communities to select either of these days or another suitable date to spruce up their areas as a part of the GAC. Now is the time to plan a cleanup or beautification project for your neighborhood. Communities that are registered will receive water for volunteers and cleanup supplies, including on-loan litter reachers, work gloves and safety vests. All particpants receive Great American Cleanup T-shirts and each neighborhood gets a “N.E.A.T. Neighborhood” recognition sign to display for a quarter.
Make it a fun day by having a block party or potluck lunch for volunteers when the project is finished.
• March 27, April 10, April 17: Small towns, big cleanup days.
Most of our towns — Riceboro, Midway, Flemington, Gum Branch and Walthourville — have already set their big cleanup days, and they will be providing lunch for volunteers. Many municipalities had their largest cleanups ever last year, so they are ready to exceed those numbers now by getting many local residents, businesses and churches to lend a hand. We hope to have 100 percent participation from Liberty County municipalities this year.
• March-May: Campus cleanups.
All local schools and colleges are encouraged to plan campus cleanups or roadside cleanups during the Great American Cleanup. We already have a couple school clubs signed up. All participating schools will receive cleanup supplies and on-loan tools for their projects. We will have awards for the schools with the most participation.
• April 24: City of Hinesville cleanup day.
The city of Hinesville’s cleanup is part of Georgia Cities Week. Once again, we will have supplies, tools and GAC T-shirts for volunteers. The city will also have a tailgate for hungry volunteers when they are finished.
Yes, spring is a busy but fun time for our community. In the past four years, we’ve watched these cleanups and other activities grow dramatically in participation. I would be remiss if I did not point out that the credit for that increase is due not only to local residents who care about the community, but also to the support and guidance the program has received during the years from my supervisor, David C. Sapp, director for Liberty County’s Solid Waste Department.
Dave is retiring this week and he will be sincerely missed by everyone who works with him. His knowledge and unique ability to envision what is needed to grow and improve programs and services are not easy to find. We thank you for your years of dedicated service, Dave. Thankfully, though, Dave will remain active on our Keep Liberty County Beautiful advisory council.
For more information on Keep Liberty County Beautiful programs, contact Swida at 880-4888 or klcb@coastalnow.net.