Help Keep Forsyth County Beautiful (KFCB) clean up Forsyth County as the group takes part in the national Keep America Beautiful’s® Great American Cleanup that began on March 1 and runs through May 31. Volunteers are encouraged to roll up their sleeves in support of a clean community by picking up litter from streets and beautifying public spaces. Those interested in being part of the nation’s largest annual community improvement program should call 770.205.4573.

"The Great American Cleanup has become more and more a staple of our American landscape every year with millions of volunteers taking the environment into their own hands, said G. Raymond Empson, president of Keep America Beautiful®. Americans are rallying together to clean up graffiti, eliminate litter, green up and beautify surroundings while preserving our waterways to create a cleaner, safer and more beautiful environment for generations to come."

According to a 2005 Keep America Beautiful® survey, 92 percent of Great American Cleanup organizers noted that their communities, neighborhoods and residents felt safer after volunteers united to clean and beautify the local environment.

In 2005, Forsyth County had its highest number of adult and youth volunteers to date for this national event. An impressive effort was made to clean up roadside litter last year more than any other year before. KFCB’s feature event, the Electronic Recycling Collection, was held on April 16, 2005 and brought in 207 patron cars and 41,538 pounds of material to recycle. Other total numbers for the entire month of April 2005 include:

• Number of adult volunteers - 129
• Number of youth volunteers - 328
• Number of bags of litter collected off Forsyth County roads - 141
• Number of miles cleaned - 26
• Number of new roads adopted - 2
• Number of storm drain markers placed - 582 (in 7 subdivisions)

In 2006, the Great American Cleanup is expected to involve close to 3 million people, volunteering more than 8 million hours. Activities will include beautifying parks and recreation areas, cleaning seashores and waterways, handling recycling collections, picking up litter, planting trees and flowers and conducting educational programs and litter-free events.

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 environments. 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.

Source: www.forsythco.com