2017 School Beautification Grants Available Thru Keep Dalton Whitfield Beautiful

(Dalton, GA, August 1, 2017) – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is pleased to announce the availability of School Beautification Grants for Fall 2017. The committee for Beautification and Community Greening has established mini-grants in celebration of National Planting Day. Beautification grants may range from a minimum of $100 to a maximum of $250.

Public and private schools in the Dalton, GA and Whitfield County area are invited to apply for funding that can help implement a project related to planting native plants. A school club, a single classroom, whole grade level or the entire school may organize a project and apply for a grant.

National Planting Day is celebrated annually by Keep America Beautiful in the fall as an opportunity to encourage volunteers to plant native species restoring ecological balance to the environment while creating greener, more beautiful communities. Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is making these grants available to improve the visual aspects of our community through projects that beautify and clean the environment.

Knowing that children play a very important part in making this happen we want them to reap the benefits by participating in a project for their very own school. Beautification projects could include establishing or supporting a school garden, planting flowers in an outdoor space, or using plants for educational purposes.

Grant applications must be submitted online no later than September 8 at www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org using the form on the Beautification Grant Application page.  Previous projects from 2015 and 2016 can be seen on the School Beautification Projects Page. 

For questions regarding the form or any aspects of your proposed project call executive director Liz Swafford at 706-278-5001. Grant winners will be announced September 15. Projects must be completed by December 1 and a project summary and photos are to be submitted by December 19. 

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Mural to Remain Downtown

Press Release

Contact: Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, 706-278-5001, Lswafford@dwswa.org

June 30, 2017

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Mural to Remain Downtown

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful (KDWB) was informed Wednesday that the convenience store which hosts it’s mural, “An Earth Worth Saving” by local artist Henry Green, is scheduled to be remodeled by the new owners as part of their ongoing rebranding efforts. The much-needed face-lift included painting over the mural so the building could comply with the new branding guidelines. However, an agreement has been reached with the new owners to keep the mural as is while still remodeling the rest of the store.

MAPCO’s Vice-President of Operations, Dave DeSerio stated, “We have recently been made aware of the concern the Dalton community has in regards to the beautiful mural at one of our MAPCO locations. We want to ensure Dalton that the painting will not be removed and we are proud to be a part of such a creative community. As your neighborhood store, we support local efforts and we’re looking forward to ways in which we can further get involved in Dalton, GA.”

The mural, which was officially announced last April during a ribbon cutting ceremony, is located at the MAPCO convenience store on 304 N. Thornton Ave. in Dalton across the street from the Dalton Green and First Baptist Church. It was commissioned in 2015 in partnership with 1000 Words Dalton Art Project, then completed in early 2016.  

Executive Director for KDWB, Liz Swafford, has been in contact with MAPCO corporate management this week in an effort to come to a favorable agreement regarding the immediate future of the public art project. “Our discourse with management has been very positive. They understand that the mural is important to the residents of this community and will continue to honor the agreement we had made with the previous owners,” said Swafford.

KDWB chairman Anthony Cline started a petition on Causes.com Wednesday evening to provide an area for residents to show their support and express their desire to preserve the mural during store renovations. Several residents, Dalton City Council and Mayor Mock also sent letters to show their support for keeping the mural on the side of the store.

“The show of support for public art and the recycling and sustainability message of the mural has been amazing,” added Swafford. “KDWB is thankful for your support. We look forward to working on more public art projects with 1000 Words in the future.”

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.

This Earth Day #LiveLitterFree

Dalton, GA – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful invites you to celebrate Earth Day weekend by helping to make our community a more vibrant, beautiful, and healthier place to live. Visit a Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful booth during two different events to learn more about litter prevention, and pickup free cleanup supplies, like trash bags and litter bags for vehicles, to conduct your own neighborhood or park cleanup for Earth Day.

After picking up cleanup supplies and removing litter participants are encouraged to post a photo to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/keepdalton-whitfieldbeautiful) or on their favorite social media site with the hashtag #LiveLitterFree by end of day Sunday, April 30. Participants who post a photo with the hashtag may be chosen to receive a prize from Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful.

The first booth will be open on Saturday, April 22 from 10 am to 12 pm during the Dixie Highway Celebration Festival’s Family Fun Zone at Peacock Alley in Downtown Dalton. The second booth will be available on Sunday, April 23 from 1 pm to 3 pm during Ecumenical Earth Day at Christ the King Lutheran Church on 623 S. Thornton Ave. in Dalton. For more information call 706-226-6211, or visit www.keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful Establishes Endowment Fund

Pictured L-R: David Aft, president of the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia, meet with board members from Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful recently to establish an endowment fund. Also pictured are board members Clyde Taylor, Phillip Pfeifer, Liz Swafford, Anthony Cline, Aaron Marcelli, Patricia Edwards.

Dalton, GA – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful established an endowment fund with the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia in February thanks to a matching grant challenge from an anonymous donor. Endowment fund distributions will provide long term support for the non-profit focused on ending litter, beautifying communities, and improving recycling.

“Establishing the endowment fund has allowed us to diversify our income sources ensuring that our mission continues regardless of changes in annual fundraising.” said Patricia Edwards, chairperson for the endowment fund committee. “We are thankful for all of the individuals that contributed towards the matching grant goal. Thanks to you we were able to meet the challenge. We are especially grateful to our anonymous benefactor for giving us this opportunity to guarantee that Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful programs continue long into the future.”

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful began in 1989 as the Dalton-Whitfield Clean and Beautiful Commission, and soon after became an official Keep America Beautiful affiliate, and member of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation. The organization is now an independent non-profit with the same mission - to engage local residents in creating a more vibrant community. Board members and volunteers are proud to be a part of a nation-wide effort advancing education and collective action to ensure that beauty is our lasting legacy starting from the local level.

Recent activities have included the launch of the new educational campaign “Love it, don’t trash it!” #LiveLitterFree, a refresh of the Adopt-a-Mile program, unveiling of a mural downtown, beautification mini-grants for schools, and the presentation of the Magic of Recycling magic show at seven elementary schools. Longtime community events include the annual Christmas Tree and Electronics Recycling Day, and the Conasauga River Watershed Cleanup.

Anyone interested in helping Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful grow their endowment is encouraged to send their donation to the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia, noting Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful.

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Contact: Liz Swafford, Executive Director

            Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful

(706) 226-6211

Lswafford@dwswa.org