Media Release                                            

Keep Houston Beautiful Seeks Volunteer for
West Bellaire/Chinatown Cleanup Project

[Houston , TX] [April 11, 2007 ] Keep Houston Beautiful is seeking volunteers to improve West Bellaire/Chinatown’s public spaces and sidewalks through participation in Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup. The Great American Cleanup is the nation’s largest annual community improvement program and takes place annually from March 1 through May 31. The Asian American Business Council, MetroBank, NA, Strake Jesuit & St. Agnes Schools, Halliburton and Alief Super Neighborhood Council will partner with citizen volunteers to join communities across the nation as they work to beautify the environment along Bellaire Blvd. from Sharpstown Center to Kirkwood Drive. The event will be held on April 14th starting at 8:00 a.m. at Strake Jesuit High School, 8900 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, TX 77037.

Houston’s Great American Cleanup activities are part of  a larger national effort that is expected to involve close to 2.5 million people, volunteering more than 8 million hours to clean, beautify and improve 15,000 communities during 30,000 events in all 50 states. For the fifth consecutive year, President George W. Bush will be serving as Honorary Chair of the Great American Cleanup, and First Lady Laura Bush will also be joining him for the third consecutive year as Honorary Co-Chair.

“Americans have always taken pride in the beauty of their communities and country, and Keep America Beautiful has been proudly leading the charge to take care of tomorrow today,” said G. Raymond Empson, president of Keep America Beautiful.  “In its 22^nd year, The Great American Cleanup continues to make a lasting impact by creating a cleaner, safer, and more beautiful environment.  Through litter and waste removal, recycling drives, beautification efforts and educational outreach, our volunteers are keeping America beautiful.”

“Anyone who takes the time to participate in Keep Houston Beautiful Day is an everyday hero in my book,” said Robin Blut, executive director of Keep Houston Beautiful. “Our goal is to promote a sense of civic pride that doesn’t stop after a one day event, but lasts throughout the year. Keeping our city free of blight is a full time endeavor, and we’re here every day working to accomplish the task.” Blut added that Keep Houston Beautiful performs hundreds of clean ups every year involving thousands of volunteers.

The 2006 Great American Cleanup produced phenomenal results with over 228 million pounds of litter and debris collected; more than 2.5 million scrap tires and 37 million plastic (PET) bottles removed from the waste stream; 10,000 illegal dump sites cleaned; 38.5 million pounds of aluminum and steel recycled; more than 5.5 million trees, flowers and bulbs planted and more than 6,000 miles of rivers, lakes and shorelines cleaned by the strength of over 2 million volunteers.

Many of America’s leading companies are dedicated to supporting and sponsoring the efforts for the 2007 Great American Cleanup.  The National Sponsors are: American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Firestone Complete Auto Care™ and TiresPlus™, GLAD® ForceFlex® Trash Bags, Pepsi-Cola Company, Sam’s Club®, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Sparkle® Paper Towels from Georgia-Pacific, Sprint Foundation, Troy-Bilt®, Waste Management, Inc., and the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company; Educational Partners: Rubber Manufacturers Association and The Wireless Alliance.  The Texas Department of Transportation supports events across Texas.

Keep Houston Beautiful Day is supported locally by Republic Waste Services, Moody-Rambin Interests, Halliburton, Houston Parks & Recreation Department, Marathon Oil Company, and Houston Pepsi Cola Bottling.

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.

Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. This national nonprofit forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community’s environment. The Great American Cleanup™ is the organization’s signature program that mobilizes millions of volunteers to improve their communities through hands-on participation. For more information, visit www.kab.org.

About Keep Houston Beautiful

As a national award-winning Keep America Beautiful affiliate, Keep Houston Beautiful has worked with all segments of the community for more than 30 years to educate and empower individuals to take greater responsibility for beautifying and enhancing Houston’s environment. Each year’s successes have created a cleaner and healthier city for all Houstonians.  For more information, visit www.houstonbeautiful.org.

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