 Southern and eastern Kentuckians have volunteered more than 1 million hours to clean up their landscape and educate their children about the environment. Since 1997, 292,810 people have volunteered 1,028,953 hours through PRIDE, the region’s environmental cleanup and education initiative.
“I thank every single PRIDE volunteer,” said Congressman Hal Rogers, who co-founded PRIDE. “You have put your time where your heart is, and your investment is paying off. Trash is no longer hiding our region’s scenic beauty, and our schools lead the state in environmental education.”
PRIDE announced its 12-year volunteerism total on Sept. 1, along with the results of the region’s most recent cleanup campaign, which was PRIDE Spring Cleanup Month in April.
Spring Cleanup volunteers were recruited by local governments and organizations, and PRIDE provided their free T-shirts and cleanup supplies. PRIDE also set aside $670,950 to reimburse local governments for Spring Cleanup litter disposal and beautification projects.
During Spring Cleanup Month, 25,418 volunteers donated 64,992 hours to pick up litter across the 38-county region. Communities are still completing their beautification projects at welcome areas.
In recent weeks, PRIDE presented trophies to the counties, cities, schools and nonprofit organization with the greatest volunteer participation during Spring Cleanup Month. The winners were Perry County, Leslie County and Pulaski County; Hyden, Columbia and Williamsburg; Williamsburg Independent Schools, Manchester Elementary School and Whitley County Schools; and KCEOC, a community action agency serving six counties in the region.
“Congratulations on your success, and thank you for helping us surpass our regional goal of 20,000 PRIDE Spring Cleanup volunteers,” Rogers said to the winners. “You made your community a cleaner, healthier place to call home. And, because this was a regional partnership, you can be sure tourists won’t be distracted by trash in neighboring counties as they drive to your local attractions. That’s the power of PRIDE.”
The region’s next cleanup campaign will be Roadside PRIDE Month in October. Cities and counties will compete in population-based classes to recruit the most volunteers and collect the most roadside litter. PRIDE will assist with cleanup and beautification costs.
PRIDE, which stands for “Personal Responsibility In a Desirable Environment,” was founded by Congressman Rogers and Kentucky Environmental Secretary James Bickford. PRIDE encourages and assists communities with environmental cleanup and education efforts.
Since 1997, PRIDE cleanup activities have removed 2,832 illegal dumps and netted 181,116 junk appliances, 932,228 old tires and 592,751 bags of trash. In that time, 577,963 students have participated in hands-on learning projects funded by PRIDE Environmental Education Grants.
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