Thirty in 30 In Action
We’ve been fortunate over the past four years to be able to execute an ambitious program that offers a helping hand to groups and organizations who wish to do their part to keep Virginia beautiful. This program awards thirty grants over the course of 30 days for initiatives that address our impact areas of beautification, litter prevention, waste reduction, recycling, and education. To date, we’ve given over $90,000 to 120 recipients who’ve done remarkable things to preserve and protect our beautiful Commonwealth. They’ve created outdoor classrooms, installed rain gardens, planted community gardens, performed ambitious cleanup projects, and more.
2014 was no different, and thanks to the support of Keep America Beautiful and our willing partners Lowe’s Charitable and Education Foundation and MeadWestvaco, we were able to award another 30 grants this past fall. One of the stipulations of the grants is the willingness and ability to report on your work. The responses have begun to flood in, and we’re extremely proud of your efforts. You have:
- Harnessed the support of over 900 volunteers
- Those volunteers gave over 2,300 hours of selfless service
- Removed over 35,000 pounds of litter
- Cleaned over 165 acres of our State and Local parks
- Cleaned over 32 miles of shorelines
- Collected almost 4,000 pounds of recyclables
In the end, concerned people just like you perform these beautiful acts. In reality, you care enough that this important work would’ve occurred with our without our support. You are the true heroes, and we applaud you. It was a great honor to lend a bit of financial support and allow your efforts to be a bit larger and stronger.
