(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) recently partnered with two groups to help make two city parks more green and beautiful.  Irving Girl Scout Troops 1810 and 6458 didn’t sleep in on Monday, March 13, their first day of Spring Break, but instead came to Towne Lake Park, 800 Esters Road, to plant eight trees along the walking trail.  On March 22, ten employee volunteers from Abbott Laboratories spent the morning at Thomas Jefferson Park, 1200 Hidden Ridge, planting 20 trees.

At both events, the City of Irving’s Urban Forestry Team walked the volunteers through all the steps in proper tree planting.  Volunteers learned about the types of trees they were planting, how to measure the ideal depth, and tips for maintenance throughout the life of the trees.

The combined results of the two events were 22 volunteers who gave 54 hours of service in planting a total of 28 trees.  The trees were a mix of bur oak, red oak, cedar elm and desert willow, which will bring more beauty and many other benefits to these two parks. The purchase of the trees was made possible by corporate donations from Northrop Grumman and Mentor Texas.

“Events like these two tree plantings are great examples of what KIB does and how we bring people together in a common goal,” said KIB Board member Jim Scrivner. “KIB’s youth outreach program includes organizations like the Girl Scouts, who have been active volunteers for many years. We also have a strong corporate outreach program, and in this case, two companies provided the funding and a third company provided the volunteers to plant the trees.  We appreciate all those who make a positive difference, and everyone involved in the two projects did an outstanding job.”

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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, Keep Irving Beautiful reaches out to all sectors of the community, 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/KIB or call (972) 721-2175.

Keep Irving Beautiful Volunteers Bring Valentine Cheer to Seniors

738 Cards Made and Given to Nursing Home Residents

(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) continued the spirit and success of the Christmas Cards for Seniors project into 2023 with a similar card campaign for Valentine’s Day.   Volunteers were encouraged to write Valentine cards (homemade or purchased) which KIB delivered to local nursing home residents.   The response was heartwarming, with 326 volunteers of all ages participating.   KIB had “adopted” three different nursing home facilities for this project. Thanks to the kindness of these volunteers, KIB staff had plenty of cards to distribute — 738 in total.

Special thanks go to the following who helped bring smiles to the seniors’ faces by making cards:  Mayor Rick Stopfer and wife Melanie; Hackberry Creek Church; Baylor Scott and White Internal Medicine Associates; Irving Girl Scout Troops 6458 and 1810; the Dawoodi Bohras of Irving; City of Irving after-school programs at Georgia Farrow, Senter, Lee and Northwest Park Recreation Centers; the Adult Day Therapeutic Program; Heritage Senior Center; Lively Elementary second graders; Children’s Discovery Center; Cardwell Career Preparatory School; Baha’i Community of Irving; and the individuals and families who took the time to make and bring their cards to the KIB office.  The Irving Archives and Museum also provided a station for dropping off cards.

“Once again, we have seen our community members turn out in numbers to help,” said KIB Board Vice President Karen Harmon. “It is such a kind gesture to take the time to make a card or write a sincere note that will brighten another person’s day, and we know the seniors who receive them will appreciate that.”

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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, Keep Irving Beautiful reaches out to all sectors of the community, 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/KIB or call (972) 721-2175.

(IRVING, TEXAS)— America Recycles Day is a Keep America Beautiful (KAB) Initiative dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States. Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB), the local KAB affiliate, has participated in this program for many years.  Since 2020, KIB has done a social media virtual event where they ask volunteers to “show us how you recycle” by posting pictures on their own Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages. This year, 48 volunteers (10 adult and 38 youth) shared their accomplishments online using #IrvingRecycles2022. During the Nov. 1-15 campaign, volunteers completed 45 hours and collected seven bags of recyclables.

On Nov. 15, the official America Recycles Day, KIB staff visited the Heritage Senior Center, 200 S. Jefferson Street, to encouraging residents to recycle and gave away reusable shopping bags, blue recycling bags, as well as books that were donated by the Friends of the Irving Public Library.  Additionally, senior center visitors had the opportunity to get their pictures taken at a pop-up station, and enter into a drawing for a Target gift card and KIB holiday sweatshirts.

“Being a part of our national organization Keep America Beautiful means that we enjoy participating in events like America Recycles Day where we are part of a much bigger picture,” said KIB Board member Brian Bunch.  “Affiliates across the country are holding recycling-themed events during the month of November.  This year, we had both a social media and an in-person event to increase our outreach, and we were pleased to see the variety of volunteers who posted photos of their recycling activities.” 

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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, Keep Irving Beautiful reaches out to all sectors of the community, 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/KIB or call (972) 721-2175.

(IRVING, TEXAS)— On Oct. 14, Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) welcomed 10 employee volunteers from the Irving Gartner, Inc. office to Bird’s Fort Trail Park, 5756 Riverside Drive, for a cleanup project. The group gave 20 hours of volunteer service by collecting litter along the tree line between the Campion Trail and the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. 

After the cleanup, volunteers assisted with the weighing of all bags collected, with a total of 59 pounds of trash and recyclables which were prevented from reaching the waterway. Irving Parks and Recreation Department staff also collected the bags after they had been weighed.

“Keep Irving Beautiful is happy to welcome a new partner in Gartner” said KIB board member Rachel Moon. “We are so fortunate to have such an active, engaged corporate community here in Irving, with companies that place a high priority on giving back.  These employee volunteers did a great job today, and we hope to work with them again.”

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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, Keep Irving Beautiful reaches out to all sectors of the community, 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/KIB or call (972) 721-2175.

KIB Celebrates 31^st Annual Trash Bash

409 Volunteers Participate at T.W. Richardson Grove

(IRVING, TEXAS)— T.W. Richardson Grove Park, 333 E. Interstate Highway 635, was the site of the Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) 31st Annual Trash Bash, the organization’s signature cleanup event. A total of 409 volunteers gathered at the park on Sept. 24, with a focus of stopping litter from reaching the nearby Elm Fork of the Trinity River. The volunteers totaled 1,227 hours of service and collected 860 pounds of trash and 410 pounds of recyclables. During KIB’s virtual cleanup, 77 volunteers served 59.5 hours and collected 55 pounds of trash.

Mayor Rick Stopfer officially proclaimed Sept. 24 as “Trash Bash Day in Irving.”  The event also was part of National Public Lands Day when thousands of volunteers engaged in similar projects across the country.

KIB partnered with Crisis Ministries of Irving for their annual canned food drive during the city’s Trash Bash event. Volunteers who brought a food donation received a KIB T-shirt. A total of 376 pounds of food was collected to benefit those the local community.

Following the cleanup, volunteers from Nueva Vida Church prepared and served a hot dog lunch and chips were donated by Frito-Lay.

During the day, attendees had the opportunity to visit a variety of vendors at the park. Barry Allen brought a collection of reptiles. The City of Irving Water Utilities shared fun facts about water conservation. The Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas offered STEM activities and program information at their table. Randy Mecca of DiscGames, whose focus is the therapeutic and recreational value of disc golf for wounded warriors and others with physical challenges, set up an area where volunteers could test their disc golf skills.  Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages brought Coca-Cola products for the volunteers to enjoy, and the Irving Flood Control District III and Level Pathways had information tables.  The Irving Public Library gave three performances of a puppet show, while the City of Irving Urban Forestry team helped volunteers pot tree seedlings to take home.

Several city departments helped make Trash Bash a success, including Parks and Recreation, Solid Waste Services, Water Utilities and Communications. The Singley Academy Police Explorers directed traffic and kept the parking procedure safe and efficient. The Young Men’s Service League – Irving Hawks Chapter distributed supplies at the registration tables.

KIB Board President Scott Wilson provided safety instructions to the volunteers prior to the cleanup. “The Trash Bash has been an Irving tradition since 1992,” said Wilson. “It provides an opportunity for people who share a common goal of making our community cleaner and greener to gather together and make a positive, impactful difference.  On behalf of the KIB Board and staff, I want to thank everyone who came out to help make this event a success.”

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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, Keep Irving Beautiful reaches out to all sectors of the community, 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.