In 2018, Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) celebrated its 26th year as the local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful.  It was a busy year, filled with activities made possible by the dedication of thousands of volunteers who contributed their time and talents to making Irving a better place to live, work and play. Included are highlights of volunteers’ efforts during the past year in educating and engaging the community in KIB’s focus areas:

Litter abatement: There were 11 cleanups, where 610 volunteers gave 1,787 hours and collected more than 7,200 pounds of trash and recyclables. These included the Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off in April, and the Trash Bash in September, as well as smaller-scale cleanups with neighborhood associations, school, faith, and corporate groups. Adopt-a-Spot volunteers contributed another 5,636 hours and collected more than 3,300 bags of trash and recyclables.

Community beautification and greening: Beautification projects included revitalizing parks, recreation centers and Irving Fire Department facilities. Additionally, nine paint projects, including service days with corporate groups (Vizient, Acosta Sales and Marketing, Crown Castle, American Standard, Best Buy) and faith groups (Calvary Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Cistercian Preparatory School) were held throughout the year. Local Wells Fargo Auto employee volunteers planted 26 large native Texas trees at Sam Houston Trail Park, thanks to a $3,000 Verizon donation for the purchase of the trees.

Recycling: KIB participated in five “Green Events,” where recycling stations encouraged attendees to think about the “Three Rs” – reduce, reuse, recycle. These community events included the YMCA Fall Festival, Steps and Strides Fun Run, Unite for Troops and America Recycles Day.

Community service projects: KIB continued making “no-sew” blankets, which has become a popular project over the past two years. Seven different groups, including Girl Scouts troops and faith groups, made a total of 26 blankets, which were donated to area nonprofit organizations. The groups also collected canned food in conjunction with the Trash Bash. Volunteers brought 360 cans of food, which was donated to Crisis Ministries Food Pantry.

Awards and recognition: KIB was honored with the Keep Texas Beautiful Gold Star and Sustained Excellence awards, and received the Keep America Beautiful President’s Circle level as well as the Sustained Excellence Award, one of only eight affiliates nationwide to achieve this designation. KIB also was  awarded the 2018 Governor’s Community Achievement Award, which includes a $310,000 landscape grant from the Texas Department of Transportation. The nonprofit accepted the award on behalf of the Irving community.

Keep Irving Beautiful is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the community about litter abatement, recycling, and beautification to help preserve the health and promote the social and economic prosperity of the city. As an award-winning affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful, KIB reaches out to all sectors of the city, including government, businesses, churches, as well as cultural, educational, neighborhood and civic organizations. For more information on volunteering with KIB or making an activity a “green event,” visit CityofIrving.org/284/Keep-Irving-Beautiful or call (972) 721-2175