April is PRIDE Spring Cleanup Month: #Volunteer, Lawrence County

SOMERSET, KY — Recent flooding has left behind trash and debris, and volunteers are needed to remove it PRIDE Spring Cleanup Month in April.

“The flood waters have carried trash with them, but the silver lining is that cleanup will be easier now that trash is in central locations,” said Tammie Nazario, President and CEO of PRIDE, the nonprofit organization that sponsors the Spring Cleanup across 42 counties of southern and eastern Kentucky. “When we get rid of that debris, then we can enjoy our beautiful scenery and a safer environment.”

The month-long Spring Cleanup campaign is your chance to make your community look its best by volunteering to pick up litter along roadsides and local tourist attractions. When you join the team of Spring Cleanup volunteers, you will:

• Improve your community’s appearance.
• Have fun with friends and family while working together in the great outdoors.
• Inspire others to dispose of trash properly.
• Prove you are proud to call this region home.

“So many students need community service hours now, and volunteering with PRIDE can be a fun way to earn those,” Nazario added.

“PRIDE is all about appreciating the beauty of our region and taking personal responsibility for your corner of it,” Nazario said. “When you look at it that way, you realize that spring cleaning outside your house or business or church is just as important as spring cleaning inside.”

“‘Together We Can’ is our Spring Cleanup theme this year, and our track record proves that is true,” she said. “Since the first Spring Cleanup in 1998, 440,408 volunteers have donated nearly 1.5 million hours to PRIDE cleanups. Together, we have collected 183,531 tons of trash, plus 869,251 bags of trash and 971,926 tires. Clearly, together we can make a difference.”

“To go along with our theme, we are encouraging volunteers to share photos of volunteering together,” she said. “On social media, tag your photos with #PRIDESpringCleanup, #Volunteer and #TrashtagChallengePRIDE.”

PRIDE will provide trash bags and gloves to volunteers who want to pick up litter and dispose of it with their own trash. For assistance, please call the PRIDE office, toll free, at 888-577-4339.

Volunteers are encouraged to contact their local PRIDE Coordinator after they pick up litter and dispose of it with their trash. The coordinator will add the volunteer hours to the city or county’s Spring Cleanup tally. PRIDE will recognize the region’s cities and counties with the most Spring Cleanup volunteers.

PRIDE Coordinators are volunteers who are appointed by mayors and judge-executives. They work with the PRIDE staff to organize cleanup activities, recruit volunteers and track cleanup results.

In Lawrence County, the PRIDE Coordinators are:

• Jim Burchett, Lawrence County PRIDE Coordinator, 606-638-4102
• Regina Jordan, City of Blaine PRIDE Coordinator, 606-652-9175
• Greg Slone, City of Louisa PRIDE Coordinator, 606-638-4038

The 2019 PRIDE Spring Cleanup is sponsored by Walmart and Outdoor Venture Corporation.

For more information, please visit www.kypride.org.