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(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) recently partnered with the Irving-based Nexstar Media Group for their annual “Founder’s Day of Caring” on June 17.  Nexstar founder and CEO Perry Sook started Founder’s Day to “enable employees to make a personal commitment to make the community a better place for everyone.”  Employees in each of Nexstar’s 116 markets across the country are given paid time off to work with a local nonprofit or service agency.  

 

A total of 79 employee volunteers, dressed in T-shirts denoting Nexstar’s 26th anniversary, gathered at T.W. Richardson Grove Park, 101 W. Interstate 635, for their morning of service. These volunteers gave 237 combined hours in in collecting litter along the tree lines close to the Elm Fork of the Trinity River along Campion Trail.  When all bags were weighed and recorded, the group collected more than 110 pounds of trash and recyclables.

 

The event also included a food drive, with employees encouraged to bring nonperishable food items to the event.  A total of 276 pounds of food were donated to Irving Cares food pantry, thanks to the generosity of the Nexstar team.

 

Media coverage of the event was provided by Nexstar owned CW-33 and Irving Community Television Network, who interviewed participants and took video footage that captured the spirit of the day.

 

“It was a pleasure for us to welcome Nexstar back to T.W. Richardson Grove for a second consecutive year,” said KIB Board member Karen Harmon.  “They are an excellent group to work with and serve as an outstanding example of corporate community stewardship.  Not only did they give of their time make the park more beautiful, but they also supported a local food pantry with their donations.”

 

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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.

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Keep Irving Beautiful Partners with Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages

 

 

 

(IRVING, TEXAS)— Irving’s Trinity View Park, 2221 E. Highway 356, was buzzing with activity on June 10, as employee volunteers from Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages (CC-SWB) gathered for a morning of service as part of the company’s “Sustainability Week.”  This was a combination beautification project, with one group applying a fresh coat of bright yellow paint to the safety railings at the football fields, while others conducted a cleanup throughout the park. The 48 employee volunteers gave 144 hours of time, and collected 151 pounds of trash and 97 pounds recyclables.

 

The special guest of the day was the WFAA-Channel 8 “Good Morning Texas” crew.  As volunteers worked in the background, Paige McCoy Smith interviewed a representative of CC-SWB and KIB Coordinator Rick Hose.  This was followed by the presentation of an oversized check in the amount of $5,000, a donation from Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages to Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB).

 

The KIB and CC-SWB partnership was initiated through the Texas Water Action Collaborative (TxWAC), a group which matches companies and funders with projects that benefit Texas water resources.  KIB’s primary goal in cleanups is to keep litter from reaching the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, which forms the eastern border of the park, and the funds will be used to purchase supplies to aid in future cleanups.

 

“It’s always exciting for us to welcome a new corporate partner,” said KIB Board member Brian Bunch. “We can’t thank Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages enough for their contribution today.  Not only did the employees give of their time towards the beautification of Trinity View Park,  but the company also made a generous financial contribution which will be so helpful toward enhancing our programs.”

 

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.

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Keep Irving Beautiful Partners with Dallas Everest Lions Club

Group Donated and Planted Trees at Running Bear Park

 

 

(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) recently partnered with the Dallas Everest Lions Club for a tree planting project at Running Bear Park, 2601 S. Story Road.  On June 3, a total of 10 volunteers, which included Lions and “Leos,” the club’s youth members, gathered at the park for a morning of service.  Under the guidance of the City of Irving’s Urban Forestry Team, the group planted six large 45-gallon trees.

 

The group volunteered 30 hours of service by planting the four bur oaks and two red oak trees, which were purchased using funds donated by the club.  Previously, the group had funded a similar project at Cimarron Park, 201 Red River Trail.

 

Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer paid a visit to the event to thank the volunteers for their service to the city.  Michael Amador, a photographer for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), took videos of the volunteers in action. He also interviewed the mayor and KIB President Scott Wilson for a feature on Irving that will be presented at the Governor’s Community Achievement Award (GCAA) Ceremony at the Keep Texas Beautiful State Conference.   Irving is this year’s GCAA winner in the largest population category.

 

“The Dallas Everest Lions Club members are all about service and giving back to the community,” said Wilson.  “An event like this where they both funded and planted the trees shows that.  We were able to purchase some beautiful oak trees which will provide shade along the trail as well as many other benefits like habitat for birds and other wildlife. This is a great example of the partnerships that are vital for KIB to achieve what we do.”

 

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.

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Keep Irving Beautiful Partners with Veterans Group from Amazon

 

 

(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) recently partnered with the “Warriors” group from the Amazon DAL-3 Fulfillment Center for a beautification project.  This group consists of Amazon employees who are either veterans or military family members/supporters.  In honor of Memorial Day, the group completed a paint service project at Irving’s Southwest Park.

 

On May 26, eight employee volunteers came to Southwest Park, 2800 Shady Grove Road, to begin their morning of service. These volunteers completed 24 combined hours by prepping and painting the metal safety fencing that surrounds the soccer fields, making it more visually appealing for the many athletes and spectators who come to the facility.

 

“We are always happy to welcome new partners,” said KIB Board member Jim Scrivner.  “This is the first time we have worked with the Amazon DAL-3 center, but we hope to have more projects with them again.  KIB is proud to support our veterans and their families, and having this project coincide with Memorial Day made it especially meaningful.”

 

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.

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Keep Irving Beautiful and Partners Celebrate Earth Month

 

(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) had a productive April, partnering with several groups to conduct “Earth Month” activities.  April 22 has been known as “Earth Day” since 1970, but interest and participation have grown beyond just one day to include the entire month of April.

 

KIB started April with the annual “Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off” cleanup at Trinity View Park, 2221 E. State Highway 356. This event, part of Keep Texas Beautiful’s statewide initiative and Keep America Beautiful’s “Great American Cleanup” nationwide program, set the tone for the month.  During April, KIB worked with several new partners for cleanups, including BBB Industries who picked up litter near the Rock Island Road Bike and Pedestrian Trail on April 8.  Employee volunteers from the Irving and Dallas offices of the Claudia Salas State Farm Insurance Agency joined forces on April 22 for a cleanup at Running Bear Park, 2601 S. Story Road. 

 

On April 21, KIB staff visited the Lively Adult Day Therapeutic Program and brought our toucan mascot Kirby to teach about recycling and the importance of not littering.  The clients enjoyed discovering some of the many items that can be made from recycled materials, and followed with a cleanup of Lively Park, 909 N. O’Connor Road.

 

Abbott Laboratories employees helped to beautify a popular Irving attraction with a paint project at the Animal Connection Experience at Fritz Park, 312 E. Vilbig St., on April 15.  They put a fresh coat of paint on the metal fencing, preparing for the arrival of the summer season.  Another paint project was with a new partner, the Amazon DAL-2 Fulfillment Center at the DFW Airport.  This group of employee volunteers gathered at Southwest Park, 2800 Shady Grove Road, on April 23 to give a fresh new look to the soccer field by painting the surrounding fencing.

 

KIB partnered with the West Irving Library for an Earth Day project that included building birdhouses and a  plant exchange.  KIB supplied birdhouse kits that were donated by the Parks Department, and the library supplied the plants. 

 

Additionally, the Bird’s Fort Trail Butterfly Garden is thriving, thanks to the efforts of volunteers who tend to the many different plants that help to attract butterflies and other pollinators to the area.  KIB invites the community to visit the beauty of the garden located at 5756 Riverside Drive. The garden is along the city’s Campion Trail system.

 

“April is typically our busiest month of the year, and 2022 was no exception,” said KIB board member Margie Stipes. “We started the month with a community cleanup and ended with Arbor Day, with a great variety of projects and partners in between.  Of course, at KIB we like to say that every day is Earth Day, so all of our activities throughout the year reflect that theme.”

 

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.

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Keep Irving Beautiful Recognized as Gold Star Affiliate by Keep Texas Beautiful
86 Texas Communities Honored for their Exceptional Community Improvement Efforts

 

[IRVING, TEXAS] - Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB), a statewide grassroots environmental and community improvement non-profit organization, recently named Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) a Gold Star Affiliate, a designation granted to 86 of KTB’s nearly 300 affiliates. Gold Star recognition is the membership recognition highest status any community affiliate can achieve.

 

In 2004, the organization introduced the concept of Gold Star recognition to reward those communities who sought to go above and beyond the established requirements. To remain in good standing with KTB, community affiliates must submit a report, pay dues, attend training and participate in a KTB-endorsed activity annually. 

 

To achieve Gold Star status, affiliates must share information on their mission and goals, answer questions about their economic development and diversity and inclusion practices or participate in the Beautify Texas Awards or Governor’s Community Achievement Awards programs, and provide a letter of support from their community.  KTB will formally recognize Gold Star communities during its 55th Annual Conference in June.

 

“Our affiliates are the backbone of our organization. We are proud to honor those going above and beyond to keep their communities clean and beautiful,” says Suzanne Kho, Executive Director of Keep Texas Beautiful. “Our Gold Star Affiliates are educating and engaging community members, actively recruiting and managing volunteers, hosting cleanup and beautification events throughout their community and so much more.”

 

In 2021 alone, KTB affiliates engaged 41,550 volunteers who contributed 190,094 hours to collect 3.25 million pounds of waste and recyclables from Texas roadways, trails, and waterways.  Keep Irving Beautiful successfully implemented programs to clean up litter, reduce and recycle waste, educate local citizens, and beautify and enhance the local community.  Working with all sectors of the community, KIB’s 2021 totals were 5,665 volunteers, 8.081 volunteer hours, 18,698 pounds of trash and recyclables collected in cleanups,

and 133 trees planted in public spaces.

 

“Maintaining the Gold Star level with Keep Texas Beautiful is very important to our organization,” said KIB President Scott Wilson.  “It shows the commitment we have to this community and to our state affiliate, but it also reflects the dedication of our volunteers in helping us to keep Irving clean, green and beautiful.”

 

 

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About Irving

The City of Irving ranks #1 per capita among cities with at least 5 Fortune 500 corporate headquarters with a population greater than 100,000. Centrally located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Irving continues to attract top talent from around the world.

 

About Keep Texas Beautiful
Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) is a non-profit organization dedicated to making Texas the best place to live, work, and play by deploying resources for community improvement projects, clean-ups, and youth engagement efforts across the state. Through our Keep Texas Recycling program, we provide assistance and education to support recycling in rural and underserved communities.

 

Everything we do is focused on mobilizing volunteers to take action by providing them with tools, resources, and training. Our fieldwork includes research on best practices for litter reduction along with the development of community programs to prevent the flow of litter to the Gulf.

 

Founded in 1967, Keep Texas Beautiful’s work is driven by its network of nearly 300 affiliate member communities, volunteers, and supporters that reach 17 million Texans annually. For more information and to find your closest affiliate, visit www.ktb.org. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

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KEEP IRVING BEAUTIFUL SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR ANNUAL AWARDS

“Mayor and KIB Awards” Honor Irving’s Difference Makers

 

(IRVING, TEXAS) - Keep Irving Beautiful is asking for nominations to be submitted for the 2022 “Mayor and KIB Annual Awards.”  These awards honor local individuals, organizations and businesses that have gone above and beyond in making significant contributions towards making Irving a better place to live, work, play or visit.  KIB calls them their “environmental stars” and will recognize the winners at a reception on Monday, August 1.  Categories include:

  • Youth Leadership
  • Educator
  • Faith Group
  • Civic Organization
  • Business and Industry
  • Media
  • Lifetime Achievement
  • Civil Servant
  • Nonprofit Organization
  • Government
  • KIB Hometown

 

Detailed descriptions of each award, a list of previous year’s winners, and the current nomination form can be found by going to www.keepirvingbeautiful.org. Nominations can be submitted online, or can be downloaded, printed, and mailed to the KIB office at: 

Keep Irving Beautiful, 3000 Rock Island Road, Irving, TX 75060.

For more information, please contact KIB at 972-721-2175, or email info@rockthegreen.org.

 

Nominations must be received by Friday, June 10, 2022.

 

Keep Irving Beautiful is a non-profit, grassroots, leadership organization dedicated to educating our community about litter abatement, recycling, and beautification to help preserve the health and promote the social and economic prosperity of our city. As an award-winning affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful, Keep Irving Beautiful reaches out to all sectors of our city including government, business, church, cultural, educational, neighborhood and civic organizations.  If you are interested in volunteering with KIB, or making your activity a “green event,” please go to Keep Irving Beautiful, or call (972) 721-2175.

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Mission Tomorrow Receives Beautify Texas Award

 

(Irving, Texas) – Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) recently announced the Irving-based nonprofit Mission Tomorrow as a winner of the 2022 Beautify Texas Award for Outstanding Project. The Beautify Texas Awards, formerly the Keep Texas Beautiful Awards, recognize the efforts of those working to enhance their community and protect the Lone Star State. These awards range in honoring extraordinary volunteers, professionals, youth, educators, businesses, local/civic governments, organizations, and specific projects and programs.

 

“Outstanding Project” is one of ten categories and recognizes outstanding contributions by civic organizations or city/county/state government departments supporting the KTB mission through a specific one-time project or event from the previous year. Mission Tomorrow is incredibly deserving of this recognition for their “Trees for Life” project, the planting of 100 trees at Irving’s Cimarron Park in October of 2021.  The project was funded by a Lowe’s “100 Hometowns” grant in honor of the company’s 100th anniversary, and was a partnership that included Mission Tomorrow, Lowe’s employee volunteers, VolunteerNow, Keep Irving Beautiful and the City of Irving Urban Forestry Team.

 

“We are proud to honor and recognize Texans who are making a difference in our state,” says Suzanne Kho, Executive Director of Keep Texas Beautiful. “Their actions do more than protect the environment: they inspire community members to get involved and help us keep Texas beautiful.”

 

For more than 20 years, Keep Texas Beautiful has recognized extraordinary Texans and Texas institutions who are committed to keeping Texas beautiful. Today, these awards  serve as a continued reminder of the hard work and dedication of our supporters across the state.

 

Mission Tomorrow will be honored at the KTB Annual Conference, which will take place in Austin from June 27 through June 29. A full list of winners and award descriptions, as well as information about the conference can be found atwww.ktb.org. 

 

About Keep Texas Beautiful


Keep Texas Beautiful is a network of dedicated Texans working together to make our state the best place to live, work and play. We equip local partners and affiliates with the tools they need to build vibrant, engaged communities. Founded in 1967, Keep Texas Beautiful has more than 50 years of experience deploying resources for local clean-up, recycling, and youth engagement efforts. Everything we do is focused on mobilizing volunteers to take action across the state. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, we lead nearly 300 affiliates and reach 17 million Texans annually. We are proudly based in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.ktb.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @keeptxbeautiful.

 

About Mission Tomorrow

 

Founded in 2020 by brothers Dhruv and Vansh Nanda, Mission Tomorrow is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a better world than the one we live in. They believe this can be accomplished through poverty eradication and creating a sustainable environment. Their goal is to improve the lives of people by addressing the basic needs of health, shelter, and education while preserving the natural resources for current and future generations.



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KIB Partners with BBB Industries for Earth Day Service Project

Employee Volunteers Participate in Cleanup

 

 

(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) recently partnered with BBB Industries for an Earth Day service project.  On April 8, nine employee volunteers from the company’s Irving office met at the KIB office, where they were equipped with bright yellow vests, litter grabbers, gloves, trash and recycle bags.  The group then went to their destination, the Rock Island Bike and Pedestrian Trail, where they collected litter from the tree line near the trail.  They collected 48 pounds of trash and 6 pounds of recyclables.

 

BBB Industries has been a pioneer in sustainable manufacturing for more than 30 years, and currently does business in 58 countries.  Through a circular process, they receive used automobile parts, manufacture them to like-new quality, and ship them to customers in return for more parts.  BBB recently has expanded their business to include upcycling and extending the life of solar panels and EV batteries. 

 “KIB is excited to welcome BBB Industries as a new partner,” said KIB board member Kelly Horn. “Their focus on recycling and repurposing products fits perfectly with our mission and goals.  The Irving location reached out to us for a project during April – Earth Month - that would make a positive impact, and they did an outstanding job with the cleanup.”

 

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.

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Keep Irving Beautiful Hosts “Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off”

 

(IRVING, TEXAS)—The “Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off” is the state’s signature event of the “Great American Cleanup,” taking place in communities all across Texas.  Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) hosted its event on April 2 at Trinity View Park, where volunteers came together with the common goal of stopping litter from reaching the nearby Elm Fork of the Trinity River.  After signing in, receiving supplies, and hearing a safety speech, groups of volunteers spread out across the park, along creek beds, tree lines and wooded areas, collecting litter that had been washed into this low-lying area. 

 

Following the cleanup, volunteers were treated to a lunch of beef or veggie hot dogs prepared by volunteers from Blueprint Church, including a variety of chips donated by longtime sponsor Frito-Lay. City departments that were instrumental in the success of this event included Parks and Recreation, who reserved the park and provided logistic guidance, Solid Waste Services, who provided roll-off containers and weighed the materials collected, and Communications, who provided a crew from Irving Community Television Network to cover the event.

 

Also, volunteers from Crisis Ministries of Irving accepted canned food donations from those in attendance, collecting a total of 280 pounds for their food pantry in downtown Irving. Those who donated food items received a KIB T-shirt.

 

KIB also offered a virtual “#IrvingTrashOff2022” where volunteers chose their own locations around the city and reported via social media.  They were asked to post pictures of their cleanups, and include the number of volunteers, hours and bags of trash recyclables collected along with the hashtag #IrvingTrashOff2022.   The combined efforts of the in-person and remote events were 152 volunteers (105 adults and 47 youth),  440.5 hours, 1,650 pounds of trash and 860 pounds of recyclables collected.

 

“The Trash-Off is a great community event that is also part of a much bigger picture,” said KIB’s President Scott Wilson. “Our volunteers were joined by thousands of others in Texas who participated in their own Trash-Off events.  This is also part of Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup program, which will engage millions of volunteers throughout the country from through May.  We were happy to offer the virtual cleanup again this year to give our volunteers another option to participate.”

 

 

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Keep Irving Beautiful is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating our community about litter abatement, recycling, and beautification to help preserve the health and promote the social and economic prosperity of our city. As an award-winning affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful, Keep Irving Beautiful reaches out to all sectors of our city including government, business, church, cultural, educational, neighborhood and civic organizations.  If you are interested in volunteering with KIB, or making your activity a “green event,” please go to Keep Irving Beautiful, or call (972) 721-2175.