Whitehouse Recognized As Gold Star Affiliate by Keep Texas Beautiful
Star Affiliate by Keep Texas Beautiful
53 Texas Communities Honored with Gold Star Status by Statewide Nonprofit
(Austin, Texas) – Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB), a statewide grassroots environmental and community improvement organization, named Whitehouse, Texas as a Gold Star Affiliate at their annual meeting in Austin on June 24th. Whitehouse is one of more than 350 towns, cities, and counties in KTB’s statewide network that take responsibility to care for the community environment. In 2010, only 53 of these affiliates obtained Gold Star recognition, the highest status for an affiliate.
Receiving the Star Affiliate Award from Keep Texas Beautiful are from the left: Beverly Casey, Eddie Ray, Tricia Brown, Debbie Shafer and representing KTB; Anne Cunic
Whitehouse implements programs to prevent litter, reduce waste, beautify community areas, and educate citizens. To achieve the level of good standing with KTB, affiliates must annually submit a report, pay a fee, attend at least one training session, and participate in at least one KTB endorsed activity. In 2004, KTB introduced the opportunity for affiliates to earn Gold Star recognition by meeting additional criteria. To achieve this status, affiliates are required to share information on their mission and goals, answer questions about their public education programs, partnerships, and sustainability efforts, participate in the Keep Texas Beautiful or Governor’s Community Achievement Awards programs, and provide a letter of support from their community.
Keep Texas Beautiful, the statewide grassroots environmental organization and affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, strives to educate and engage Texans to take responsibility for improving their community environment. KTB works with volunteers, elected officials, businesses and state and federal agencies to ensure that every Texan has the opportunity to take individual responsibility for making Texas the cleanest, most beautiful state in the nation. For more information on programs and events, call 1-800-CLEAN-TX or visit www.ktb.org.
Bright Spot of the Month – July 2010
Prince of Peace Catholic Church has been awarded the Bright Spot of the Month for July by Keep Whitehouse Beautiful. Their new location on Main Street / FM 346 next to the Whitehouse High School is large enough to enable the church to grow in the Whitehouse, Troup, Bullard, Arp and Flint areas. Now that the church has been built, plans are to build a Family Life Center behind the church which will host events, classrooms and offices. Pictured are some of the folks who have volunteered their time with the beautiful landscaping outside of the church. If you know of a business or organization deserving of the title “Bright Spot of the Month”, send an e-mail to aklein@keepwhitehousebeautiful.com
KWB Adds Two New Adopt-A-Spot Groups!
Keep Whitehouse Beautiful has signed up two more local businesses to its Adopt-A-Spot program. CVS Pharmacy and Brookshires have committed to maintaining the new flower beds behind the stone benches recently installed at the intersection of State Hwy 110 and FM 346.
CVS Pharmacy will maintain the two beds on its side of the intersection. Pictured from the left are: Belinda Giles from CVS Pharmacy; Kathy Moore from Keep Whitehouse Beautiful; Elizabeth Soriano, CVS and Hazel Bateman, KWB.
Brookshires will tend to the two beds on the side of the Whitehouse Donut shop. Pictured from the left are: Hazel Bateman, KWB; Chris Bain of Brookshires and Kathy Moore, KWB.
The Adopt-A-Spot program is a partnership between Keep Whitehouse Beautiful and local business, organization and church groups to maintain the public flowerbeds throughout Whitehouse. If your group is interested in adopting a public flowerbed in Whitehouse, contact Kathy Moore at 903 839-6292 or send an e-mail to info@keepwhitehousebeautiful.com.
Other groups that have volunteered to sponsor a Spot are: Austin Bank, Prince of Peace Catholic Church Youth Organization, and the Whitehouse YesterYear organization. See the photo gallery below for pictures of all of the sponsors.
KWB Appreciation Dinner – June 3, 2010
On June 3rd, 2010, members of Keep Whitehouse Beautiful and leaders from the Whitehouse community gathered at Victoria Station to celebrate the year’s successes and thank those who had a part in that success. We also notated award winners of Keep Texas Beautiful – Eddie Ray, who won the OP Schnabel Award, and the Higgins Elementary Green Girls and Trash Patrol, who won the Ruthe Jackson Youth Leadership Award.
Painting the Wall on Hwy 110 – Whitehouse….A Great Place To Hang Your Hat!
Lisa Kendall, art teacher at WHS, her students and KWB volunteers painted the wall on 110 as you enter Whitehouse. Check out the pictures that were taken!
