A Season Of Thanks

By: Claire Tribble

Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful has so many things to be thankful for this year. We had an amazing year thanks to our dedicated volunteers and support from the Limestone County Commission, the City of Athens, and our local business sponsors. While we will never be able to repay everyone for their hard work and dedication, we do know that all of Limestone County benefits and appreciates their efforts.

Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful has an amazing volunteer base who has shown us unwavering support over the years. With their help we have accomplished so much this past year — from litter cleanups to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection to Shred Day, they all make these events possible. Through the hard work from this volunteer group, we were able to host 27 cleanups, with 355 different volunteers! We removed 8,340 pounds of litter from public roadways and waterways throughout Limestone County. The City of Athens and the Limestone County Commission have put in countless hours helping us remove the bags and piles of trash and volunteering at our events, and for that we are beyond thankful. We know it’s hard to see the difference because it’s a never-ending cycle, but it has a huge impact. Because of these fantastic volunteers, Athens City and Limestone County are a little bit cleaner.

Our local businesses continuously go above and beyond for Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful. Thanks to their generosity and their love for Limestone County, they make our events come to life. The Earth Day Expo is our favorite event every year, and because of them, it can remain a FREE event for everyone. Not only do we receive sponsorship for the different shows and exhibits, but they also volunteer their TIME. Time should never be undervalued as a contribution, because as we all know, there is never enough, and we can’t get it back. For those of you who have volunteered with us at any event, please know that we are forever grateful.

This year, we were lucky enough to have a large number of student volunteers work us. Five different student groups from the Athens Renaissance Middle School chose to work with us through the Adopt-A-Spot Program. These students cleaned five different locations, totaling 1,440 pounds of litter. We also have a new partnership with the Advanced Ag class from the Limestone County Tech School. The students are helping us with the Downtown Project. They are not only helping us plant the pots, but they are also growing our plants in the greenhouse at Tanner High School. We are so proud to have the opportunity to work with students and contribute to their education.

As the year comes to an end and we reflect on all of our achievements, we are humbled by the immense support we have received from all of Limestone County. We are proud to serve Limestone County and its residents. We can only hope to grow our volunteer base and extend our outreach efforts to better serve all of Limestone County.

By: Claire Tribble – Executive Director, Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful