2016 School Beautification Grant Winners

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is pleased to announce the winners of the second annual School Beautification Grants for Fall 2016. The committee for Beautification and Community Greening established mini-grants in celebration of National Planting Day, which took place on September 9.

Public and private schools in the Dalton, GA and Whitfield County were invited to apply for funding to help implement a project related to planting native plants. Beautification grants ranged from a minimum of $100 to a maximum of $250. Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful has made these grants available to improve the visual aspects of our community by supporting initiatives that beautify the environment.

This year eight local schools were awarded a cash grant. Below is a list of schools that were awarded a grant and the name of their project.

1.             Christian Heritage School - Pathway to Pollination

2.             Eastbrook Middle - Patriotic Bog

3.             Pleasant Grove Elementary School - PGE Certified Wildlife Habitat

4.             Westwood Elementary School - Westwood Playground Garden

5.             Brookwood Elementary - Mini Lakeshore

6.             New Hope Middle School - Butterfly Garden

7.             Dug Gap Elementary - Stay Cool at School

8.             North Whitfield Middle School - Mulch and Beautify our School

Projects will be completed by December 2 and each recipient will submit a project summary by December 16 to showcase their work. Visit Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s website www.KeepDaltonWhtifieldBeautiful.org or follow them on Facebook to get updates on the progress of these projects.  

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. Learn more about this event at www.kab.org.

2016 School Beautification Grants Available Thru Keep Dalton Whitfield Beautiful

(Dalton, GA, August 10, 2016) – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is pleased to announce the availability of School Beautification Grants for Fall 2016. 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.

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 Friday, September 9 at www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org using the form on the Beautification 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 23. Projects must be completed by December 2 and a project summery is to be submitted by December 16. 

To see what the 2015 winners did with the grant visit the School Beautification Projects page. 

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

“An Earth Worth Saving” Mural Celebrated During Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

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Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful and 1000 Words Dalton Art Project celebrated the completion of the mural “An Earth Worth Saving” by local artist Henry Green. The mural is located downtown at the intersection of Thornton Ave. and Waugh St.

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Local artist Henry Green was selected to design a mural with a recycling and sustainability theme for Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful. The selection process was facilitated by 1000 Words Dalton Art Project.

(Dalton, GA, April 14, 2016) –  The completion of the mural “An Earth Worth Saving” by local artist Henry Green was celebrated on Tuesday, April 12 with a ribbon cutting ceremony organized by the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce. The recycling and sustainability themed mural is sponsored by Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful in partnership with 1000 Words Dalton Public Art Project. The new mural is located at the corner of Thornton Ave. and Waugh St. on the side of the MAPCO gas station across the street from the Dalton Green Park.

Last fall Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s recycling committee requested artist submissions through 1000 Words for a recycling and sustainability themed mural. Green’s design which included a view of planet Earth from space was ultimately chosen out of six different designs.

While the painting of the mural was done by Green, volunteers helped to prepare the wall for the new artwork during three work days. Teens from The City of Refuge who volunteered also helped Green select different animals to add to his design.

In the mural the Earth is is covered with plastic bottles bringing attention to the amount of plastic being used but not recycled. By not recycling we produce more waste, litter, and fill up landfills with materials that could be used again. Circling the planet is an astronaut with a recycling bin reaching for a paper airplane that says, “What we save, saves us.” What we recycle and reuse saves the Earth by conserving limited natural resources.

The large trees on either side of the Earth are an homage to the Tree of Life. When we recycle paper we help conserve trees which provide oxygen, shade, and a habitat for living things. Some of the animals represented in the trees are the red panda, chameleon, horse, snake, dolphin, and elephant. As we save the Earth we in turn benefit ourselves because we are all interconnected, making this an Earth worth saving.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is the local Keep America Beautiful affiliate striving to create a more vibrant, beautiful community. The non-profit focuses on initiatives for litter prevention, waste reduction and recycling, and community greening and beautification. They recently released an educational campaign about preventing litter called “Love it, don’t trash it!” #LiveLitterFree. Learn more at www.keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org.

1000 Words is a new initiative to promote and accelerate the growth of public art in Dalton. The initiative partners with local artist with the funding, location and community volunteers to create murals and sculptures around town. Program organizers want to give Dalton a voice through public art, accelerate beautification, instill pride in our community and inspire the next generation.

For more information about the mural and additional photos visit the Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful on Facebook or call 706-278-5001.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful

-               Website: www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org

-               Facebook: www.facebook.com/keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful

"Love it, don't trash it!" Educational Campaign Launched

One of the billboards for the new "Love it, don't trash it!" anti-litter campaign is located at S. Thornton Ave. and Cedar St. in Dalton. 

(Dalton, GA, February 10, 2016) – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful wants you to show some love to Whitfield County by preventing litter, trash in the wrong place, starting in your own neighborhood. This month KDWB is launching a new educational campaign, titled “Love It, Don’t Trash It” aimed at providing residents with actions they can take to help prevent litter in our community. Residents can share how they’re showing our community some love on social media using the hashtag #LiveLitterFree.

Litter is a growing issue in the Dalton and Whitfield community. Fast food wrappers, cigarette butts, and bottles along the road have become the norm. Litter impacts our quality of life, destroys our town’s natural beauty, can harm or kill wildlife, diminish water quality, and even contribute to motor vehicle accidents.

Yet it’s important to recognize that litter is preventable when individuals take personal responsibility for their environment. Simple actions like keeping a plastic bag in your vehicle to collect trash, or properly closing the lid on trash carts can make a big difference.

KDWB believes that the majority of residents in Whitfield County want a clean, beautiful, and vibrant place to live. Last June the litter prevention committee invited residents to submit their anti-litter slogan ideas to be used in the new educational campaign. In August the group chose the slogan, "Love it, don't trash it!" and the hashtag #LiveLitterFree out of more than fifty entries. Both phrases were slight variations on slogans submitted by local residents Eli Miranda and Robert Fernandez.

Show Whitfield County some love - visit www.keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org, click on litter prevention, then download graphics with litter prevention tips to share on your social media sites. Use the hashtag #LiveLitterFree to see your post and what other residents are doing to prevent litter. Like the Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful page on Facebook for weekly educational posts and updates on volunteer opportunities. Together we can make Whitfield County a more vibrant place to live.

To help launch the campaign, there are two billboards posted with the campaign slogan along South Thornton Avenue and Cleveland Highway. KDWB also has bumper stickers, t-shirts, and other promotional items available for volunteers and residents. For more information about the campaign, contact Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful at 706-278-5001 or e-mail Executive Director Liz Swafford at lswafford@dwswa.org.