Bamberg, South Carolina (January 2017) – Keep America Beautiful presented Keep Bamberg County Beautiful with its President’s Circle Award recognition at the recent Keep America Beautiful National Conference, which took place in Washington, D.C. The President’s Circle Award recognizes exemplary performance by certified affiliates of the national nonprofit in creating clean, green and beautiful communities.
In qualifying for a President’s Circle Award, KBCB has met Keep America Beautiful’s standards of merit by conducting an annual Community Appearance Index, calculating the affiliate’s cost/benefit ratio, and administering activities in the areas of Ending Littering, Improving Recycling, and Beautifying Bamberg County’s Community. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful consists of a national network of more than 620 community-based affiliates whose programs, initiatives and efforts, supported by millions of volunteers, help transform public spaces into beautiful places.
“One of Keep America Beautiful’s most effective tools is the work of our grassroots network of affiliate organizations, which has an impact on millions of Americans each year,” said Keep America Beautiful COO Becky Lyons. “Our affiliates are providing real solutions that help create communities that are socially connected, environmentally healthy and economically sound.”
“Receiving the President’s Circle Award from KAB is such an honor, and we are proud to know we are able to provide real solutions in Bamberg County that create a lasting change, socially, environmentally and economically. We are proud of our volunteers, supporters and board members for helping us to achieve this goal,” said Mallory D. Biering, Keep Bamberg County Beautiful Director.
Community Appearance Index-Litter Index: The Keep America Beautiful Community Appearance Index-Litter Index is a tool used by its affiliates to visually assess overall appearance of communities through indicators such as litter, illegal signs, graffiti, abandoned or junk vehicles, and outside storage. A team of community, business and government representatives conduct the visual analysis using a scoring system ranging from 1-4, with “1” rated as “no litter” to “4” being “extremely littered.” Each year, affiliates grade their communities during a drive-by examination of the same areas at the same time of the year. This provides an indication of the success of each community’s anti-littering education and other anti-littering programs.
Cost/Benefit Analysis: This measurement tool enables Keep America Beautiful affiliates to demonstrate their ability to leverage community resources by determining the dollar value returned to the community for every dollar invested by government.
The Keep America Beautiful National Conference, its premier educational and networking event, brought together more than 350 leaders from Keep America Beautiful’s national network of affiliates, business leaders, policymakers and other experts who shared innovative ideas and proven strategies to help End Littering, Improve Recycling, and Beautify America’s Communities.
The 2017 Keep America Beautiful National Conference was made possible through the support of some of America’s leading companies, including: Title Sponsor – Wrigley Company Foundation; Leadership Sponsors – Altria, Lowe’s and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company; Stewardship Sponsors – Anheuser-Busch, Steel Recycling Institute; Strategic Sponsors – Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Northrop Grumman; Supporting Sponsors – Foodservice Packaging Institute, Maryland Environmental Services and Owens-Illinois, Inc. Scholarships are provided by Altria, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and The Share Fund.
About Keep Bamberg County Beautiful
Keep Bamberg County Beautiful works throughout the year to succeed in creating a more beautiful, cleaner and greener community for current and future citizens and guests of Bamberg County. Through grants funds, in kind donations and support from Bamberg County Government, we are able to implement programs that increase the County’s recycling rate, provide litter free areas throughout the County, create green spaces, including an Educational Experience Park and teach citizens of all ages how to be self-sufficient in their homes by reusing, recycling, reducing their waste and upcycling their waste. With more than 100 partnerships with businesses throughout the county, state and nation, KBCB continues to prevent litter, reduce waste and beautify Bamberg County.
About Keep America Beautiful
At Keep America Beautiful, we want to ensure that beauty is our lasting signature. A leading national nonprofit, Keep America Beautiful inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. We envision a country in which every community is a clean, green, and beautiful place to live. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful provides the expertise, programs and resources to help people End Littering, Improve Recycling, and Beautify America’s Communities. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 620 state and community-based Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the support of corporate partners, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. To donate or take action, visit kab.org. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, or view us on YouTube.
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