(NAPSA)—Taking part in activities that clean, beautify and improve communities actually makes people feel safer, according to a recent survey. This spring, volunteers nationwide will rally together to cleanup, green-up and fix-up their neighborhoods during Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup’, the nation’s largest annual community improvement program. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the event, which takes place from March through May. President George W. Bush serves as Honorary Chair for the third consecutive year, with Mrs. Laura Bush joining him this year as an Honorary Chair. A recent Keep America Beautiful survey revealed that 89 percent of community leaders reporting 2004 Great American Cleanup results indicated that their volunteers “felt safer” in their communities after participating in the Cleanupactivities. During the 2004 program, 2.3 million volunteers collected 150 million poundsoflitter and debris; planted 5 million flowers and bulbs; cleaned 6,500 miles of rivers, lakes and shorelines; and collected 1.2 million tires for recycling. In fact, one tire can attract 10,000 mos- quitoes and increasethe threatof West Nile Virus. Collecting and removing tires reduces this threat. “The 20th anniversary of our Great American Cleanup marks a milestone for creating and maintaining clean communities as volunteers rally together to elimi- Volunteers can enjoy fixing up their communities—and then enjoy living there more. nate litter, graffiti and blight that plague local environments,” said G. Raymond Empson, president of Keep America Beautiful. “By showing their commitment through hands-on activities, volunteers are providing the solution to sustaining a healthy quality of life for everyone.” Support for clean communities continues to grow, as many com- panies are sponsoring volunteers’ efforts. The 2005 Great American Cleanup National Sponsors are: American Honda Motor Company, Inc., Cingular Wireless, Firestone Complete Auto Care & ExpertTire & Tires Plus, GLAD ForceFlex Trash Bags from The Glad Products Company, SPARKLE’ Paper Towels from Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Pepsi-Cola Company, The Scotts Company, Troy-Bilt’, Waste Management, Inc. and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company; Educational Partner: Rubber Manufacturers Association. To volunteer or to find out more information, visit www.kab.org.
