About 3,000 local volunteers have gotten dirty for a countrywide call to action to clean up America’s communities. Passionate and dedicated Keep Bakersfield Beautiful (KBB) volunteers have once again helped the national Great American Cleanup (GAC) be the largest community service program in the United States of America. KBB’s GAC is able to be such a success thanks to the support of the City of Bakersfield and its sponsors.
So far in 2008, KBB’s GAC has improved approximately 70 locations in and around Bakersfield. Since GAC started on March 1, 2008, KBB volunteers have picked up at least 72.7 tons of litter and bulky items strewn about homes, businesses, and vacant lots, and 60 tons of illegally dumped tires. The City estimates KBB volunteers will pick up a total of 173 tons of litter and debris by the time GAC ends on May 31, 2008! Keep America Beautiful estimates more than 2.8 million people from its affiliate communities will have participated in the 2008 GAC.
GAC is an opportunity for volunteers of all ages to pitch in and take pride in their hometown. Most KBB volunteers sprung into action on the 19th of April. About 90 KBB teams gave up that Saturday to give back to our community. The majority of the volunteers this year have done GAC before. Many of them keep coming back to Keep Bakersfield Beautiful, because they want to eliminate neighborhood eyesores like litter and graffiti. This year, KBB volunteers also fixed up the home of an elderly resident, helped make the free appreciation lunch and party at Yokuts Park go off without a hitch, conducted electronic waste recycling collection sites at Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield, and planted 35 trees at Stramler Park.
The e-waste collection sites and tree planting project at Stramler Park were part of new relationships KBB built to benefit the residents of Bakersfield. Since GAC coincided with Earth Day in California this year, the Kern County Department of Parks and Recreation graciously shared its grant from PG&E to plant trees with KBB volunteers, and provide the public with energy efficient light bulbs during GAC. This newfound partnership between the County and KBB is sure to grow. Plus, Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield teamed up for the first time with Alianza Recycling Group to help KBB. This partnership gave residents and businesses the chance to conveniently have e-waste recycled for free. The recycling rebate will go toward future KBB beautification projects. A big thank you to them for their efforts and teamwork to Keep Bakersfield Beautiful!
The 2008 Great American Cleanup in Bakersfield could not have happened without the support of Keep Bakersfield Beautiful volunteers and its sponsors. KBB also appreciates the Honorable Mayor Harvey Hall, Councilmembers Jacquie Sullivan and Zack Scrivner, State Senator Dean Florez staff member Elva Lopez, and the office of State Assemblymember Jean Fuller, for recognizing the hard work of KBB volunteers and its supportive sponsors, by participating in the GAC awards ceremony at Yokuts Park. KBB and the City of Bakersfield thank all you for your commitment to our mission and our city!
Photos of the Event
