Irving, TX, June 06, 2024 –Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB), a statewide grassroots environmental and community improvement non-profit organization, recently named Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) a Gold Star Affiliate. Gold Star recognition is the highest membership recognition status any community affiliate can achieve.
“Keep Texas Beautiful 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 2023, KTB affiliates engaged over 32,000 volunteers in over 500 cleanups who contributed to collecting 3.7 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 their work beautifies and enhances the local community.
As Irving ‘s local affiliate of Keep Texas Beautiful, KIB hosted activities which engaged 8,049 volunteers who contributed 10,847 hours of service. They collected 25,746 pounds of trash and 7,909 pounds of recyclables in cleanups, enhanced the visual appeal of several parks with paint projects, and helped to plant 38 trees in public spaces.
KIB Board President Jim Scrivner credited volunteers for the success of the organization. “KIB accomplishes so much in the Irving community, and it is important to us to strive for the highest levels of achievement. We could not do that without the dedication of our volunteers,” said Scrivner. “We are proud to be a Keep Texas Beautiful affiliate, and we thank KTB for this honor.”
Affiliates that reach Gold Star status have demonstrated organizational aptitude and have robust community support. To achieve Gold Star status, affiliates share 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. They also provide a letter of support from their community. KTB will formally recognize Gold Star communities during the KTB Conference in June.