Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful Receives Awards for 2016 Activities

Pictured are Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful board members with the awards for 2016. Front row (left to right): Karey Williams, Liz Swafford, Anthony Cline. Middle row: Patricia Edwards, Scott Delay. Top row: Phillip Pfeifer, Chris Cochran, Dirk Verhoeff, Jennifer Jefferies, Joe Thomas, Aaron Marcelli, Clyde Taylor.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, a local non-profit dedicated to building a more vibrant community has received two awards in recognition of its activities in 2016. The group received the Governor’s Circle Award on behalf of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, and the President’s Circle Award on behalf of Keep America Beautiful. Both awards recognize exemplary performance by certified affiliates in reducing litter, minimizing waste and greening local communities.

The statewide award recipients were presented at the State Capitol as part of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation’s Annual Legislative Day in February. The President’s Circle awards were presented at the Keep America Beautiful National Conference in January.

“The affiliates receiving the Governor’s Circle Award represent the best of community improvement efforts”, said Sarah Visser, Executive Director of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, “they are doing the hard work every day to keep their communities economically vibrant and environmentally sustainable”.

“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.”

Last year the volunteers and board members facilitated several community activities including the annual Christmas Tree and Electronics Recycling event, beautification grants to local schools, the Magic of Recycling show for elementary schools, Adopt a Mile cleanups, and the annual river cleanup. They also provided litter prevention and beautification information to residents at the Prater’s Mill Fair, Business Expo, and Dalton State, among other activities.

Visit www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org to register for the KDWB newsletter, follow us on Facebook, or call 706-278-5001 to find out how you can volunteer or participate in upcoming events.

Four Place In Equipment, Mechanic, and Truck Road-E-O

Two Advance to International Road-E-O

On May 11, 2016, the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) Georgia Chapter held its annual Equipment, Mechanic, and Truck Road-E-O at the Southern Pines Ag and Expo Center in Dublin, Georgia. This chapter event was held to qualify competitors for the SWANA International Road-E-O to be held at the same location on September 3rd. The equipment, mechanic, and truck Road-E-Os are just one way that SWANA tries to give back to and recognizes the outstanding personnel in the solid waste management industry.

Four employees of the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority participated and placed in the May event which qualified competitors from both the private and public sectors. Competitions were held for automated side- loader, front load, rear load, roll-off, and tractor trailer under the truck categories; dozer, articulated dump truck (ADT), rubber-tired loader, and track hoe in the equipment categories; and mechanics. Competitors skills were tested as they maneuvered through challenging courses.

In the Truck Competition category McKenny Pittman placed 2nd in the Front Loader event. In the Equipment Competition category Eddie Ashe placed 3rd in the Dozer event. Josh Kruse placed 3rd in the Off Road Truck event and in the Rubber Tire Loader event. Marlon Cole placed 1st in the Track Hoe event, and was the top overall finisher in the equipment category earning him the title of “Top Gun”. Pittman and Cole will move on to compete in the International Road-E-O next month. Learn more about this event here: http://www.gaswana.org/road-e-o.html

Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority employee, Marlon Cole, placed 1st in the Track Hoe event during the Road-E-O competition in Dublin, Georgia this May. His top scores in the Equipment competition category earned him the title of “Top Gun” and a spot at the International Road-E-O event next month.

McKenny Pittman, who represented the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority at the Road-E-O in May, placed 2nd in the Front Loader event which is part of the Truck competition. Pittman will move on to compete in the International Road-E-O event in September.

Josh Kruse, a Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority employee, participated in the Equipment category of the Road-E-O in May which was held in Dublin, Georgia. Josh Kruse placed 3rd in the Off Road Truck event, and in the Rubber Tire Loader event.

Joel Scott, SWANA Georgia Chapter Treasurer, recognizes Eddie Ashe at the Road-E-O competition in Dublin, Georgia this May. Ashe, an employee of the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, placed 3rd in the Dozer event which is part of the Equipment competition.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful Receives Awards for 2015

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Pictured are several Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful board members with the awards. Front row (left to right): Hailey Delatorre, Shell Underwood, Patricia Edwards, Liz Swafford, and Aaron Marcelli. Top row (left to right): Phillip Pfeifer, Chris Cochran, Joe Thomas, Jennifer Jefferies, Anthony Cline.

(Dalton, GA – May 12, 2016) – Local non-profit Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful received the Governor’s Circle Award on January 26. The statewide awards were presented by Governor Nathan Deal at the State Capitol as part of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation’s Annual Legislative Day.

The Governor’s Circle Award recognizes exemplary performance by certified affiliates in reducing litter, minimizing waste and greening local communities. To qualify for the Governor’s Circle Award, affiliates must be in good standing with Keep America Beautiful; conducting an annual Litter Index, calculating the affiliate’s cost/benefit ratio and engaging volunteers to take greater responsibility for their community environment. Additionally, the affiliate must be an active member of the Georgia network. Georgia is the first state in the Keep America Beautiful (KAB) network to create a Governor’s Circle Award modeled on KAB’s national good standing designation.

“The affiliates receiving the Governor’s Circle Award represent the best of community improvement efforts”, said Sarah Visser, Executive Director of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, “they are doing the hard work every day to keep their communities economically vibrant and environmentally sustainable”.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful also received received the 2015 Keep America Beautiful President Circle Award recognition at Keep America Beautiful’s recent National Conference in Orlando, Florida. The President’s Circle Award recognizes exemplary performance made by certified affiliates of the national nonprofit in creating clean, green and beautiful communities.

In qualifying for a President’s Circle Award, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful has met KAB’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 litter prevention, recycling and waste reduction, and beautification and community greening. Established in 1953, KAB consists of a national network of more than 600 community-based affiliates whose programs, initiatives and efforts aim to 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 President and CEO Jennifer Jehn. “Our affiliates are providing real solutions that help create communities that are socially connected, environmentally healthy and economically sound.”

In 2015 Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s volunteer board hosted and facilitated several activities including the annual Christmas Tree and Electronics Recycling Day, Composting Awareness Week, Adopt-a-Mile litter cleanups, Ecumenical Earth Day, Conasauga Watershed River Cleanup, and environmental education sessions for children and adults.

During this time the litter prevention committee established the educational campaign “Love it, don’t trash it!” #LiveLitterFree. The recycling committee sponsored the sustainability themed mural “An Earth Worth Saving” located at Thornton Ave. and Waugh St. And, the beautification committee provided grants for school gardens to several local schools among other projects.

Visit www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org to register for the KDWB newsletter or call 706-278-5001 to find out how you can volunteer or participate in events.

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About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.

Keep America Beautiful is the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With a national network of community-based affiliates, we work with millions of volunteers who take action in their communities to transform public spaces into beautiful places. Through our programs and public-private partnerships, we engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community’s environment. To learn how you can donate and take action, visit kab.org, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or view us on YouTube.

About Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation (KGBF)

Created in 1978 by Governor George Busbee, Keep Georgia Beautiful (KGB), became the first state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful.  In 2011, the Keep Georgia Beautiful program merged with the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, Inc. which was created in 1985 to promote private sector financial support for worthwhile educational programs that enhance the environment and the quality of life in Georgia. KGBF coordinates a number of environmental efforts including the Great American Cleanup™ and the statewide Bring One for the Chipper Christmas tree recycling program.  The Foundation is based on a fundamental premise that the environmental interests of the state of Georgia and the people who live here are best served when public and private interests work hand-in-hand to achieve common goals. Our connections with the public and private sectors aid us in our mission to support local Keep Georgia Beautiful affiliates as they build and sustainable communities through litter prevention, waste reduction, recycling, water resource management and community greening.  For more information about the KGB Foundation, please visit www.keepgeorgiabeautiful.org or call the office at (404) 679-4910.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

 Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful

-       Website: www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org

-       Facebook: www.facebook.com/keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful

-       Office: 706-226-6211

Code Enforcement Official of the Year Awarded to Dalton Officer

Code Enforcement Officer Chris Cochran from the Dalton Police Department was honored as the 2015 Code Enforcement Official of the year by Keep Georgia Beautiful. 

(Dalton, GA, December 18, 2015) –  Code Enforcement Officer Chris Cochran from the Dalton Police Department was honored as the 2015 Code Enforcement Official of the year by Keep Georgia Beautiful. Cochran established the code enforcement program in 2013 and has been responsible for enforcing environmental, housing, and land use codes in the city.  

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, the local Keep America Beautiful and Keep Georgia Beautiful affiliate, and the City of Dalton nominated Cochran for his extensive work in the area of code enforcement. Throughout the year he’s been involved in activities ranging from removing illegally dumped tires to informing residents about building code violations.

Almost 250 Georgians attended the 37th Annual Keep Georgia Beautiful Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, December 16 at the Marriott Century Center. The annual program honors individuals and organizations working to improve Georgia’s environment.

“Today’s program celebrates and recognizes 37 years of collaboration by individuals, schools, corporations, non-profit organizations and government agencies to keep Georgia’s environment beautiful,” said Kevin Perry, President of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation.

The annual awards ceremony recognizes outstanding efforts in the areas of Litter Prevention, Waste Reduction & Recycling and Community Improvement. Individual wards are presented to a public works official, code enforcement official, elected official, student, male volunteer, female volunteer, and executive director of the year.

The program also honors Georgia’s Keep America Beautiful Affiliates for their comprehensive environmental impact on the local community. Since its inception in 1978, Georgia’s affiliate network has grown to be the nation’s largest, with 78 local affiliates serving 76% of the state’s population.

Additional article also posted on the Dalton Police Department Blog: http://daltonpd.com/2015/12/dalton-officer-named-code-enforcement-official-of-the-year/

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful Receives Awards for 2014

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful board members Shell Underwood, and Kay Patterson, and Executive Director Liz Swafford participated in Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation’s Annual Legislative Day on March 18. 

(Dalton, GA – March 24, 2015) – Local non-profit Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful received the Governor’s Circle Award on March 18th. The statewide awards were presented by Governor Nathan Deal at the State Capitol as part of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation’s Annual Legislative Day. The Governor’s Circle Award recognizes exemplary performance by certified affiliates in reducing litter, minimizing waste and greening local communities. Additionally, the affiliate must be an active member of the Georgia network.

“The affiliates receiving the Governor’s Circle Award represent the best of community improvement efforts”, said Sarah Visser, Executive Director of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, “they are doing the hard work every day to keep their communities economically vibrant and environmentally sustainable”.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful also received Keep America Beautiful’s President Circle Award at the annual Keep America Beautiful (KAB) National Awards Dinner, held during the recent 2015 KAB National Conference in Washington, D.C. The President’s Circle Award recognizes exemplary performance made by certified affiliates of the national nonprofit in building and sustaining vibrant communities.

In qualifying for a President’s Circle Award, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful has met KAB’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 litter prevention, recycling and waste reduction, and beautification and community greening. Established in 1953, KAB consists of a national network of more than 600 community-based affiliates whose programs, initiatives and efforts aim to 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 President and CEO Jennifer Jehn. “Our affiliates are providing real solutions that help create communities that are socially connected, environmentally healthy and economically sound.”

In 2014 Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful hosted and facilitated several events including Christmas Tree and Electronics Recycling Day, Bulky Waste Roundup, Adopt-a-Mile cleanups, Composting Awareness Week, Ecumenical Earth Day, and environmental education sessions for children and adults.

“I want to thank the Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful board members and volunteers for participating in so many activities throughout the year that make our community a beautiful place to live.” said Executive Director of KDWB, Liz Swafford. “There’s still room for us to grow and we’re looking for board members and volunteers to join us and make a positive impact in 2015.”  Visit www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org to register for the KDWB newsletter or call 706-278-5001 to find out how you can participate. 

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.

Keep America Beautiful is the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With a national network of community-based affiliates, we work with millions of volunteers who take action in their communities to transform public spaces into beautiful places. Through our programs and public-private partnerships, we engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community’s environment. To learn how you can donate and take action, visit kab.org, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or view us on YouTube.

About Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation (KGBF)

Created in 1978 by Governor George Busbee, Keep Georgia Beautiful (KGB), became the first state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful.  In 2011, the Keep Georgia Beautiful program merged with the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, Inc. which was created in 1985 to promote private sector financial support for worthwhile educational programs that enhance the environment and the quality of life in Georgia. KGBF coordinates a number of environmental efforts including the Great American Cleanup™ and the statewide Bring One for the Chipper Christmas tree recycling program.  The Foundation is based on a fundamental premise that the environmental interests of the state of Georgia and the people who live here are best served when public and private interests work hand-in-hand to achieve common goals. Our connections with the public and private sectors aid us in our mission to support local Keep Georgia Beautiful affiliates as they build and sustainable communities through litter prevention, waste reduction, recycling, water resource management and community greening.  For more information about the KGB Foundation, please visit www.keepgeorgiabeautiful.org or call the office at (404) 679-4910.