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| Take Pride in America® joins with Jacksonville Beach Elementary School for local cleanup project on Global Youth Service Day |
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. April 25, 2008-- Take Pride in America® will join with students from Jacksonville Beach Elementary School, the City of Jacksonville, Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission, CITI and Watershed Action Volunteers for a school cleanup commemorating Global Youth Service Day. Students will join together to clean up their campus in an effort to “take pride” in their school and local public lands.
“Take Pride in America is honored to join with local students, the City of Jacksonville, Keep Jacksonville Beautiful and other volunteers as we work together to take care of our shared spaces,” said Katie Loovis, executive director of Take Pride in America. “Through their volunteer service on Global Youth Service Day, these students show us that anyone, of any age, can take pride and make a difference.”
The event between Take Pride in America and Jacksonville Beach Elementary School is the fourth stop on Take Pride in America’s “VolunTour Across America”. The VolunTour involves Take Pride in America hitting the road with its sponsor, Toyota, for a three-week trip traveling through ten states featuring events with local and national partners across the country.
“As we begin our ‘VolunTour’ through the southern states, we look forward to working closely with partners and establishing new partnerships in each of our stops,” said Loovis. “Joining hands, one by one, our grassroots volunteers are the heart and soul of the Take Pride in America program, and we’re on the road now with Toyota to fan that flame of service.”
“At Toyota, we operate under a company-created global earth charter that promotes environmental responsibility throughout our entire company,” said Michael Rouse, Toyota corporate manager of philanthropy and community affairs. “We are also committed to preserving the environment through strong partnerships with organizations like Take Pride in America.”
About Take Pride in America
Take Pride in America is a national partnership program aimed at increasing volunteer service on America’s public lands. It is the goal of Take Pride to empower volunteers from every corner of America to maintain and enhance our natural, cultural, and historical sites. Take Pride encourages citizen stewardship through an innovative public awareness campaign and an interactive Web site that showcases volunteer opportunities at natural and cultural sites.
About Global Youth Service Day
Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) is the largest annual celebration of young volunteers, where millions of young people in countries everywhere carry out thousands of community improvement projects. All organizations are encouraged to plan youth-led community service projects that involve the broader community in GYSD or showcase existing projects to the media and surrounding community.
About Keep American Beautiful, Inc.
Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. This national nonprofit forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. The Great American Cleanup is one of its many programs that encourage people to care for communities through volunteer participation. To join the Great American Cleanup and campaign for a cleaner, greener America, visit www.kab.org.
For more information, visit www.TakePride.gov. For more information on Keep Jacksonville Beautiful and other City of Jacksonville clean up events, visit www.coj.net keyword “KJB” or call (904) 630-CITY.