Keep America Beautiful/Lowe’s Community Partners Grant Will Support the Establishment of School-based Learning Gardens in North Georgia
Lawrenceville, Ga., August 14, 2017 – Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, today announced the organization is providing Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful with a $20,000 grant as part of the 2017 Keep America Beautiful/Lowe’s Community Partners Grant Program.
The 2017 Keep America Beautiful/Lowe’s Community Partners Grant Program engages local volunteers to take action to benefit their community with projects that focus on critical needs. Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s grant program is titled Project Plant it Forward. Representing a collaborative effort between Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS), Monarchs Across Georgia, and the Captain Planet Foundation, Project Plant It Forward will allow local schools to create edible and pollinator “learning gardens.”
“Gleaning inspiration from the pay it forward movement, these gardens will not only promote much-needed pollinator conservation, they will also create a supply of locally-grown food for families in need,” said Schelly Marlatt, Executive Director of Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful. “By making them school-based, we are teaching our children about the importance of conservation and sustainability, as well as the rewards that come from helping those in need. Above all, we are teaching them – at a young age – that they can have a hand in making a difference in their community and in the lives of others. We hope that’s a lesson that resonates throughout their lifetimes. We are so incredibly grateful to Lowes and Keep America Beautiful for finding value in our vision and helping us make it a reality with our amazing partners at GCPS, Monarchs Across Georgia and the Captain Planet Foundation.”
In addition to Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s grant initiative, Lowe’s is supporting more than 30 other grant-funded community service projects in 2017. Since the Keep America Beautiful/Lowe’s partnership began in 2012, Lowe’s has contributed more than $6 million and over 1,800 Lowe’s Heroes volunteers to help Keep America Beautiful improve communities. The projects range from restoring neighborhood parks and planting community and school gardens to leading disaster restoration initiatives and large-scale cleanups. The donation this year will also support Keep America’s Beautiful’s annual Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest community improvement program.
“Lowe’s has been empowering our national network of affiliates with significant Lowe’s Community Partners Grants for years, helping Keep America Beautiful turn public spaces into beautiful places,” said Helen Lowman, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green and beautiful community, and Lowe’s is taking responsibility to contribute to our vision.”
Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful plans to launch Project Plant It Forward in the following Gwinnett County Public Schools during the 2017-2018 school year: Couch Middle, Grayson Elementary, Grayson High, Pharr Elementary, Starling Elementary, Trip Elementary, Ferguson Elementary, Meadowcreek High, Nesbit Elementary, Radloff Middle and Rockbridge Elementary Schools. Brenda McDaniel, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s Green and Healthy Schools Coordinator, will coordinate between GCPS, Monarchs Across Georgia, and the Captain Planet Foundation to ensure the project’s success at both the school and community levels.
“Our Lowe’s Heroes volunteers are ready to roll up their sleeves to help make our communities better places to live,” said James Frison, Lowe’s director of community relations. “By working with Keep America Beautiful to address critical needs, we’re demonstrating our commitment to protecting the environment and improving the health of our communities.”
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, please visit www.GwinnettCB.org.
About Lowe’s in the Community
Lowe’s, a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company, has a 60-year legacy of supporting the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. In the past decade, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together have contributed nearly $300 million to these efforts, and for more than two decades Lowe’s Heroes volunteers have donated their time to make our communities better places to live. For the latest news, visit Newsroom.Lowes.com or follow @LowesMedia on Twitter.
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, we strive 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.
Behavior change – steeped in education, research and behavioral science – is the cornerstone of Keep America Beautiful. We empower generations of community stewards with volunteer programs, hands-on experiences, curricula, practical advice and other resources to deliver measurable environmental, economic and social benefits. The organization is driven by more than 600 state and local affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities and government officials. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.
