Three first-place awards – including the top honor from one of the nation’s most prestigious non-profits – set a new standard for Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, the Hillsborough County affiliate for Keep America Beautiful.
The local organization was recognized as the nation’s top affiliate in three separate areas:
- Overall achievement in educating and engaging Hillsborough County residents in litter control, waste reduction/recycling, conservation and beautification
- Innovative programs, including the new Florida Learning Garden at the Florida State Fairgrounds
- Continual progress in its Great American Clean-Up campaign, with a 66% increase in community improvement projects and a 33% increase in volunteer participation in 2013.
Additionally, KTBB received a second-place award for its cigarette litter prevention program implemented at Curtis Hixon Park and a President’s Circle award for exemplary performance.
“We couldn’t have done it without our volunteers, board of trustees and community partners,” said Debra Evenson, executive director. “It was definitely a team effort.”
With a paid staff of just six dedicated women, KTBB is active in areas that would probably surprise even the people who participate in their signature Great American Clean-Up. Along with litter control, the organization has been working with schools to plant community gardens, a project which evolved into the Learning Garden that will host 30,000 students per year as well as thousands of visitors at the fairgrounds.
“We met the right person at the right time,” Evenson quips. The rest of the project fell into place with grants from major corporations including Humana, CSX and Cargill, as well as Eagle Scouts who built the Florida Friendly trail, the pergola and even the information booth.
They also work with organizations like Habitat for Humanity and Volunteers of America who build or rehab homes. “They do the inside, we work on curb appeal,” she said.
Merger Boosts Impact
The road to national acclaim began four years ago when Keep Hillsborough Beautiful merged with the Tampa-based Mayor’s Beautification Committee, adds Pat DePlasco, development and community relations manager. “KHB was focused on litter and waste reduction and the beautification committee was all about beautification. Coming together gave us the staff and the organization to have a much greater impact.”
A strong emphasis on building partnerships also played a major role in KTBB’s success, DePlasco added. “We used to go into underprivileged areas with a large group of volunteers and lots of trash bags and clean up the litter. That was the wrong way to go about it.”
Instead, KTBB partners with local organizations and leaders to get community buy-in, like cleaning up an empty lot next door to a foster mother’s home. “We hauled off all the trash and planted a vegetable garden and fruit trees to feed her children. She hangs bags on the fence so people can put their trash in them and the whole neighborhood looks better,” she said.
The group also nurtures its volunteers by providing the support they need to be successful. “If someone comes to us with a project in mind, we can almost always find a place for them to make a difference,” Evenson said.
Some organizations are surprised at how much assistance KTBB can provide, adds Emily Schwartz, events coordinator. “We’re set up to help – tell us when, where and how many volunteers you’ll have, and we’ll provide safety training, trash bags and other supplies you’ll need to make it work.”
Litter control is particularly important in an area like Tampa Bay because 70% of litter eventually ends up in coastal waterways, notes Daisy Packer, environmental program coordinator. “That statistic represents the entire country so it may be even higher in our coastal community.”
And the number isn’t well known, even among concerned citizens, Packer said. “We talk to kids who know they’re not supposed to litter but they don’t know why. They know it’s messy but they don’t understand the consequences to ecosystems and wildlife.”
Along with the Hillsborough awards, both Manatee and Pinellas were recognized with President’s Circle Awards – the eighth consecutive award for Manatee and the seventh for Pinellas.
[su_note note_color=”#d2f4e4″]Great American Clean-Up Setfor April 12
Join an estimated 4.5 million volunteers across the country as part of Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup scheduled for April 12 in Hillsborough, Pasco and Manatee counties. More than 40 million pounds of litter and debris were collected last year as part of the nation’s largest annual community improvement program.
The Pinellas event was held in March, but smaller events are scheduled across the county on the third Saturday of every month, with special programs planned for Earth Day on April 22.
Learn more, visit:
www.keeptampabaybeautiful.org/
www.mykpb.com in Pinellas
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