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KIB Partners with Abbott Laboratories for Tree Planting

Volunteers Replant Trees Damaged by Winter Storms

 

(IRVING, TEXAS)— If you stroll along O’Connor Road just north of Highway 183, you are sure to notice a welcome greenery addition to the path.  On March 2, Abbott Laboratories employees partnered with Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) and the City of Irving Urban Forestry Team to plant 21 trees, a mix of cedar elm, bur oak, red oak and pecan.

 

The trees were funded from corporate donations from Northrop Grumman and Mentor Texas.  The newly planted trees replaced ash trees in the area, which were irreparably damaged by last year’s prolonged freezing temperatures of the winter storms.

 

Prior to planting the trees, eight Abbott volunteers received safety instructions from KIB staff, followed by a training from the Irving Urban Forestry Team.  Volunteers learned the importance of root preparation, planting at the proper depth, benefits of mulching, and why certain trees were planted in the shadier areas and others in full sun.  After training, participants worked in small groups to plant the trees, providing a total of 24 hours of service.

 

A crew from Irving Community Television Network (ICTN) captured the action of the day’s activities and interviewed volunteers and staff for a feature story.

 

“Abbott Laboratories is a new partner for us,” said KIB board member Jim Scrivner. “They did an outstanding job today.  This is another great example of the partnerships that KIB is so thankful for.  We had three different corporate groups contributing to the success of this project, as well as the City of Irving Parks and Recreation and Communications departments. The end result is an even more beautiful walkway for our residents to enjoy.”

 

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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(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) invites the public to participate in the “Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off,” our state’s signature event of the “Great American Cleanup,” the nation’s largest community improvement program. Irving’s event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 2 at Trinity View Park, 2221 E. State Highway 356.  

 

KIB will provide cleanup supplies and lunch following the event. Volunteers of all ages are welcome. Persons 17-years-old and younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

 

Additionally, the event also will include a canned food drive to benefit Crisis Ministries of Irving Food Pantry. Volunteers who donate canned food items will receive a KIB T-shirt, while supplies last.

Volunteers are asked to register online at www.keepirvingbeautiful.org by March 25.  Registration will close when all slots are filled.

In addition to the Trinity View Park event, KIB is also offering a virtual option.  Volunteers are asked to choose a safe location, conduct their own cleanups, then report via their social media pages.  Using the hashtag #IrvingTrashOff2022, participants should post pictures on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, and include the number of volunteers, total hours, as well as the number bags of trash and/or recyclables collected.

 

 

About KIB

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 Brings Valentine’s Day Joy to Seniors

Volunteers Write 643 Cards for Nursing Home Residents

 

(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) followed their holiday card campaign with a similar project for Valentine’s Day.  KIB invited community members to make or write cards for residents of local nursing homes.

 

A total of 524 community members donated 643 cards.  This represented 545 volunteer hours and many smiles from the faces of the seniors who received the cards.  As a special treat, KIB volunteer Nancy Ard donated several flower arrangements she had made from recycled materials.  KIB staff delivered the cards and flowers in time for the Valentine’s Day parties at the nursing homes.

 

KIB would like to thank the following: Irving Girl Scout Troops; Irving Elite cheerleaders and athletes; Lively and Schulze Elementary Schools; Lamar Middle School; the after-school programs at Senter, Georgia Farrow, Lee, Northwest and Mustang Recreation Centers; Shady Grove Learning Center; the Lively Pointe Adult Day Therapeutic Program; Cynthia Sharp, Karen Harmon and Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer and wife Melanie for contributing cards to the project.

 

“We can’t say enough about how the community responded to this program,” said KIB Board member Candace Eldridge. “The seniors enjoyed receiving the cards, which helped make their Valentine’s Day special. KIB has great volunteers who are always willing to help with projects like this, and we thank them very much for their kindness.”

 

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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(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) partnered with Cistercian Preparatory School for a Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day service project on Jan. 17 at the City of Irving Tree Farm.   The City of Irving’s Urban Forestry Team guided the group of 81, which included students, teachers, and parents, to add mulch to the trees growing at the farm.  The group completed a combined total of 162 hours of service.

 

The many varieties of trees grown at the farm will be used to replace damaged or diseased trees in public spaces across the city.  Prior to visiting the farm, Cistercian Preparatory School volunteers started their day with a cleanup at White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas.

 

The King Holiday and Service Act of 1993 was passed by Congress in 1994, which designated MLK Day as a National Day of Service. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to make the holiday a day on, not a day off by engaging in volunteer activities.

 

“What an outstanding turnout we had for this event,” said KIB board member and Schools Co-Chair Kelly Horn. “Cistercian places a very high value on giving back and has been a great KIB partner for several years. This group spent their whole day off by being of service to the community, and that really is what this day is all about.”

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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 Holiday Card Project a Success

Volunteers Write 535 Cards and Letters for Nursing Home Residents

 

(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) recently conducted a card and letter writing campaign with the goal of bringing some holiday cheer to local nursing home residents.  What started as an idea from Irving Girl Scouts, grew into a project that involved 170 community members writing a total of 535 holiday cards. 

 

Some of the cards were handmade, many had personal notes included, and they all expressed wishes for a happy holiday season.  KIB would like to thank Irving Girl Scout Troops 6458, 1810 and 5252; Irving Elite Cheerleaders and athletes, City of Irving’s Code Enforcement Department, Irving ISD Lively Elementary art classes, Helping Around Town Ministry, KIB Board and staff, Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer and wife Melanie; who contributed to the project.  Several individuals, some of whom had never volunteered with KIB before, saw social media posts and were inspired to donate cards to the KIB office.

 

“KIB is so thankful for the outpouring of support by community members for this project,” said KIB Board member Margie Stipes. “We started with a goal of 140 cards, and our volunteers more than tripled that number.  We were happy to deliver these to nursing home residents and hopefully bring smiles to a lot of faces.  The response to this project was so encouraging that we plan to have a similar card writing campaign for Valentine’s Day in 2022.”

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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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(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) recently partnered with the Flowserve Corporation for a cleanup project at Bird’s Fort Trail Park, part of Irving’s Campion Trail System. On Oct. 26, five employee volunteers met at the park for an afternoon of service, part of the company’s global community impact program “Flowserve Cares.”  The group worked as a team to collect litter along the tree line, collecting 16 pounds of trash and five pounds of recyclable materials, giving a combined ten hours of service.

 

Headquartered in Irving, Flowserve is a multi-national company with more than 300 locations worldwide. The Flowserve Cares program focuses on empowering associates to make meaningful impacts in the communities where they live and work. Employee volunteers in several locations across the country participated in similar service projects on the same day.

 

 “Irving’s corporate community is very active in volunteering and supporting local organizations, and we are fortunate to have companies like Flowserve based here in our city,” said KIB Board Member Rachel Moon. “We enjoyed welcoming the Flowserve Cares team to this beautiful park and appreciate their efforts in helping to keep litter from reaching the Elm Fork of the Trinity River.”

 

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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(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) recently partnered with Irving-based Vizient, Inc. for their annual “Community Day” project.  On Oct. 12, 23 employee volunteers met at the Fritz Park Petting Farm for a morning of service in painting the large animal enclosure. These volunteers, armed with scrapers, rollers and brushes, gave a bright vibrant look to the area by applying a fresh coat of black paint to the metal fencing, for a combined total of 69 hours of service. 

 

This marked KIB’s 12th year of teaming with Vizient for this annual event, where employees are given time off work to participate in service projects with local nonprofit organizations.

 

The City of Irving Parks Department provided supplies and technical guidance for the project, while James Hull and Amanda List returned as the Vizient team co-leaders.

 

“We enjoyed hosting the Vizient employee volunteers here at the Petting Farm,” said KIB Board Member Kelly Horn. “We greatly value our relationship with companies like Vizient that place a high value on community engagement and volunteerism. It’s also nice to see that many of the same Vizient volunteers choose to work with us year after year in meaningful projects. “

 

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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KIB Partners with Local Non-profit Mission Tomorrow & Lowe’s for Beautification Project

100 Trees Planted at Cimarron Park

 

 

(IRVING, TEXAS)— On Oct. 12, Cimarron Park was filled with activity as 41 volunteers teamed with the City of Irving Urban Forestry team to plant 100 trees along the walking trails. The project is a partnership between Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB), Mission Tomorrow, Lowe’s, Volunteer Now and the City of Irving Parks Department.

 

Lowe’s employees and Mission Tomorrow members received instruction from the Urban Forestry Team in proper planting techniques and care of trees. They divided into teams and gave 123 hours of service in planting a variety of trees throughout the park.

 

Mission Tomorrow, a nonprofit founded by brothers Dhruv and Vansh Nanda, is dedicated to making a positive and measurable impact in the communities they serve. Through their “Trees for Life” initiative, Mission Tomorrow received a Lowe’s “100 Hometowns” grant for the purchase of 100 trees plus the required irrigation.

 

Lowe’s is celebrating the company’s 100th anniversary in 2021 with its “100 Hometowns” initiative, with 100 community improvement grants awarded to different organizations across the country.

 

“Keep Irving Beautiful is proud to be a part of this project that involved so many different groups joining together in a common goal,” said KIB board member Rachel Moon. “As a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization, KIB depends on partnerships like these to help in our goal to build a stronger and more beautiful community.   We had a great day here at Cimarron Park, and we invite everyone to visit this location and see what a beautiful addition these trees are.”

 

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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(IRVING, TEXAS)— Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) and the Irving Archives and Museum invite the public to show how beautiful Irving is by participating in the Fall Photo Contest from Oct. 1 through Nov. 1. To participate, entries must meet the following requirements:

  • Photographs must be locations within the City of Irving
  • Please limit photo size to 2MB or less
  • One entry per person
  • Email your photo to: info@rockthegreen.org, and include your name, phone number, where the photo was taken and the title of the photo.
  • Entries must be received no later than Nov. 1 at 5 p.m.

 

The top three selected photos will be displayed at the Irving Archives and Museum, featured in the KIB Newsletter and social media pages, and will receive the following prizes:

First Place - $25 Kroger Gift Card

Second Place – Keep Texas Beautiful Holiday Ornament

Third Place – KIB Swag Bag

 

“This contest is a great way to engage our volunteers and showcase the many beautiful things we have in Irving,” said KIB Board member Candace Eldridge. “We partnered with the Irving Archives and Museum for our Spring Photo Contest and are very excited to be collaborating with them again.”

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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Singley Academy Police Explorers at the Trash Bash

KIB Celebrates 30th Annual Trash Bash

350 Volunteers Participate at T.W. Richardson Grove

 

(IRVING, TEXAS)— T.W. Richardson Grove Park was the site of the Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) 30th Annual Trash Bash, the organization’s signature cleanup event. A total of 350 volunteers gathered at the park Sept. 25, with a focus of stopping litter from reaching the nearby Elm Fork of the Trinity River. The volunteers gave 1,400 hours of service in collecting 340 pounds of trash and 320 pounds of recyclables.

 

Mayor Rick Stopfer had officially proclaimed Sept. 25 as “Trash Bash Day in Irving.”  The event was also part of National Public Lands Day (NPLD), with thousands of volunteers engaged in similar projects across the country.

 

KIB partnered with Crisis Ministries of Irving to incorporate a canned food drive into the Trash Bash. Volunteers who brought a food donation received a special event T-shirt. After all the cans and boxes were collected and weighed, it amounted to 1,174.5 pounds of food, which will benefit those served by the food pantry in Irving.

 

Following the cleanup, volunteers from Blueprint Church prepared and served a hot dog lunch, with chips donated by Frito-Lay, while Chuck E. Cheese employee volunteers served pizza. As part of the NPLD program, the Kind Healthy Snack Company made a generous donation of Kind bars for KIB volunteers, which were distributed by Irving Fire Department trainees.

 

Attendees had the opportunity to visit a variety of informational tables. Barry Allen brought a collection of reptiles, a perennial crowd favorite. The City of Irving Water Utilities team invited attendees to “test their water IQ” by answering questions for prizes. 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. And, the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas offered STEM activities and information on scouting at their table.

 

A new addition to the Trash Bash this year was the planting of a tree to commemorate Mental Health Awareness. The 95-gallon bur oak was funded by a donation from Northrop Grumman and symbolizes the connection between nature and improved mental health. Members of the Urban Forestry Team instructed volunteers in the proper planting and care of trees.

    

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. “Since 1992, the Trash Bash has been an Irving tradition,” said Wilson. “While we offer the opportunity to make the community cleaner and greener by picking up litter, the Trash Bash is so much more than that. It’s people who share a common goal gathering together, exploring a variety of environmental subjects, and having fun in the process. On behalf of the KIB Board and staff, I want to thank everyone who came out to help make this event a success.”

 

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.