Eco-Focused Nonprofit Recognized for Exemplary Performance, Standard of Excellence
Lawrenceville, Ga. – March 19, 2019 – Keep America Beautiful (KAB), the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, has presented Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful (GCB) with a 2018 President’s Circle Award. This marks GCB’s 28th consecutive recognition with this high honor. The President’s Circle Award distinguishes exemplary performance by certified affiliates of Keep America Beautiful in creating clean, green and beautiful communities.
Qualifying for the President’s Circle Award means that Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful 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 initiatives to end littering, improve recycling, and beautify the Gwinnett County community. GCB is one of Keep America Beautiful’s more than 600 community-based affiliates whose programs, initiatives and efforts, supported by millions of volunteers, help transform public spaces into beautiful places.
“One of our nation’s most effective grassroots community resources is our local affiliates, which engage millions of Americans in volunteer service each year,” said Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Helen Lowman. “Our affiliates provide real solutions that help create communities that are socially connected, environmentally healthy and economically sound. They enrich the communities they serve and help create opportunities for Americans to do beautiful things.”
To provide an indication of the success of each community’s anti-littering education and programming, 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. The
Cost/Benefit Analysis is a measurement tool that 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.
Additional efforts championed by Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful over the course of 2018 that may have also caught the attention of Keep America Beautiful include:
Was awarded a $20K Grant from Lowe’s/Keep America Beautiful Community Partners to launch a Food Waste Warrior Program with an aim of auditing and reducing food waste among local schools- Received a $10K Primerica Foundation Grant to expand its Plant It Forward Community Garden Program with Gwinnett County Public Schools
- Hosted its 4th Annual Great Gwinnett Wetlands – which saw to the removal of 3,560 pounds of litter and 14,500 pounds of invasive plants
- Awarded $3,500 in scholarships to local students
- In partnership with the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources, GCB co-hosted its first EVER Hazardous Household Waste Event – in which more than 800 vehicles were processed and over 30 tons of hazardous household waste were collected
- Held one of its most successful Great Days of Service events to date – resulting in the collection of an estimated 11,000 pounds of litter – roughly the equivalent in weight to an elephant – over the course of 4 hours by 112 volunteers
- In partnership with the Gwinnett County Solid Waste Management Division, GCB co-hosted an impressive America Recycles Day Event in which over the course of just three hours, about 140 volunteers served an estimated 4,000 residents in the recycling or safe disposal of difficult to recycle items that are not accepted curbside in Gwinnett including more than 2,200 lbs. of clothing and shoes, 484 ink cartridges, over 6,500 gallons of paint, 26,000 lbs. of tires and 45,400 lbs. of electronics PLUS the secure shredding of 41,000 lbs. of sensitive documents
“As a Keep America Beautiful affiliate, we are continually reminded that we are not in this alone,” said Schelly Marlatt, executive director for Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful. “We feel truly blessed to be part of an organization that is so devoted to the environment and to our communities all across the nation. Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful is just one cog in a widespread network of affiliates that applaud one another’s efforts and inspire us all to reach deeper and strive farther than the year before. The President’s Circle Award is a great way for Keep America Beautiful to say ‘thank you’ for being a devoted affiliate and to let us know that our efforts are not going unnoticed. Even after receiving this honor for the 28th time, it never gets old. Instead, it serves as fuel to ensure that we receive one again NEXT year… and the year after that… and the year after that. It’s a long-standing tradition of which we are proud to be a part.”
About Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful: Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful Services, Inc. (GCB) is a Keep America Beautiful affiliate and award-winning 501(c)(3) charitable organization. It boasts an expansive community-based network dedicated to finding long-term solutions to environmental and quality of life issues through individual action. The organization is guided by a Citizens Advisory Board that represents all sectors of the Gwinnett County community. A nationally recognized leader in creating cleaner, greener and more livable communities throughout Gwinnett, GCB involves more than 100,000 volunteers annually to clean and restore public places, recycle more, protect watersheds and develop the next generation of environmental stewards. To learn more about Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and its mission of “Connecting People and Resources for a Sustainable Gwinnett,” please visit www.GwinnettCB.org.
About Keep America Beautiful: Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 600 Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the collaborative support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.
