 Lakis Mavinidis, the Harlan County Solid Waste Coordinator, accepted the Decade of Difference Diamond Award from Congressman Hal Rogers (KY-5) during the PRIDE 10th Anniversary Celebration and Envi Awards at the Hal Rogers Center in Hazard on Aug. 28. The one-time award recognized the person who has embodied the spirit of PRIDE since the environmental cleanup and education campaign began in 1997.
“It is with great appreciation that I present this highest honor to Lakis,” Rogers said. “He earned this by being a driving force in the county that has made the most dramatic turn around in the appearance of its environment and public awareness.”
When presenting the award, Rogers praised Harlan County’s visible success with PRIDE. “With their eyes on the prize of becoming a tourist attraction, the county and city governments made a commitment to reclaiming their county’s scenic beauty,” he said. “Harlan County’s progress is especially poignant because it was the childhood home of General James E. Bickford, my fellow PRIDE co-founder.”
About Mavinidis, Rogers said: “He was Harlan County’s first PRIDE Coordinator and is still the face of PRIDE for most residents. He takes the PRIDE message to the classrooms, even earning the Harlan County School Superintendent’s Teamwork Award. He organizes the county’s PRIDE cleanups, and he is quick to reward volunteers. He is the first to emphasize the importance of cooperation, giving credit to his judge-executive and magistrates, who invest hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in cleaning up the county, as well as enforce mandatory garbage and sewer collection ordinances.”
The PRIDE initiative was launched in 1997 by Rogers and the late Bickford, who was the Secretary of the Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet. PRIDE serves 38 counties in southern and eastern Kentucky. The organization links citizens with the resources of local, state and federal agencies to clean up the region’s waterways, end illegal trash dumps and promote environmental education and awareness. PRIDE is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. |
