-Nolan Hiott, WRGA-
The Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful Organization celebrated its 50th year of helping to keep Rome and Floyd County trash and litter-free and continuing to preserve and build upon the beauty of the area.
The non-profit celebrated at the Rome-Floyd E.C.O. Center last Friday, where members of the community gathered and celebrated, remarking on the achievements of the organization over the years. Environmental leaders from across Georgia came to celebrate with the environmental leaders of the Rome-Floyd area.
“Georgia affiliates removed 2.6 million pounds of litter from local communities, recovered 9.4 million pounds of recycled materials, engaged just under 113,000 volunteers, planted over 41,000 trees, flowers, and shrubs, improved more than 4,400 public spaces, educated over 556,000 local residents, rescued 842 tonnes of tires, and cleaned up nearly 151 miles of roadways, parks, waterways and trails.” -Megan Whitehead, Keep Georgia Beautiful
Also in attendance was Affiliate Network Senior VP at Keep America Beautiful, Kanika Greenlee, who got her start volunteering for Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful. Greenlee spoke at the event, talking about how inspiring gatherings such as these can be.
Also in attendance were previous Coordinators of the program, Emma Wells and Mary Hardin Thornton.
In another act of celebration, awards were created and handed out. With awards being named after prominent community members and being awarded to those who have had a significant impact on the Rome-Floyd County area.
“Just how many people showed up, and people telling me they heard about it from somebody else and somebody else. It shows that everybody cares about the one common goal. And that’s just community.” Said Hannah Bagley, current Coordinator for the organization.
Needless to say, the Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful Organization will continue to work to keep the streets, trails, and parks of the area clean and beautiful.
