Contacts:
Jacqueline Buck / Larry Kaufman
Tel: 803.733.1139 / 203.659.3014
Email: info@keepthemidlandsbeautiful.org / lkaufman@kab.org
Website: keepthemidlandsbeautiful.org / kab.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Keep America Beautiful Grants $20,000 to Keep the Midlands Beautiful in Its Effort to Restore Washed Out Bridge at Michael J. and Mary Meech Mungo Park after 2015 Flood

 Community Restoration and Resiliency Fund from Keep America Beautiful Supports Restoration and Rebuilding of Community Public Spaces in the Midlands.

WEST COLUMBIA, South Carolina (May 3, 2019) – Keep the Midlands Beautiful has received a 2019 Keep America Beautiful^® Community Restoration and Resiliency Fund (CRRF) grant  in the amount of $20,000 to support Keep the Midlands Beautiful’s effort to restore the washed-out bridge that once connected 116 acres of greenspace at the Irmo-Chapin Recreation Commission’s Michael J. & Mary Meech Mungo Park, formerly known as Rawls Creek Golf Course, after the Thousand Year Flood in 2015.

The CRRF is designed to help communities rebuild in the wake of a natural disaster, whether it be a wildfire, flood or hurricane. Donations to the Keep America Beautiful CRRF benefit the national nonprofit’s network of community-based affiliates and other partner organizations that serve communities directly affected by natural disasters.

The grant provided to Keep the Midlands Beautiful is being used to replace the bridge in order to reconnect the park and decrease litter, illegal dumping, and crime in the area.

In 2015, South Carolina found itself in a state of emergency as rain and flash floods ravaged multiple parks and greenspaces.  “Midlands residents did what they could to rebuild what was destroyed in their community, but most damage was too much for individual citizens to take on,” said Jacqueline Buck, Executive Director of Keep the Midlands Beautiful.  “That’s why we believe this grant from Keep America Beautiful is so valuable.  We are excited to work with The Irmo-Chapin Recreation Commission and our matching donor, the Michael J. Mungo Foundation, as we work to restore the bridge.”

The Keep America Beautiful CRRF provides immediate and long-term support for initial and ongoing cleanup efforts and to help rebuild vital public spaces to improve their resiliency for the future. These public spaces include parks, greenways, community gateways, Main Street/downtown areas, open spaces and more.

“Once basic personal needs are covered, people need to rebuild their community,” said Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Helen Lowman. “This is where Keep America Beautiful and our affiliate network, in partnership with corporate and private donors as well as state and local governments, restore and rebuild public spaces. These public spaces are critical to overall community health and well-being – and are often critical gathering places for a community to come together.”

Through the fund, Keep America Beautiful provides financial aid, technical support, in-kind donations and other resources to its affiliates and other community partners whose communities and residents will be living with the aftermath of widespread devastation for months and years to come.

Individuals and businesses can donate now at act.kab.org/KABfund.

About Keep the Midlands Beautiful
Established in 1989 to serve Richland and Lexington Counties, the mission of Keep the Midlands Beautiful is to engage, inspire and educate the Midlands to invest in our community through litter prevention, recycling and beautification.  Each year, thousands of Midlands residents volunteer to support this mission, including almost 375 groups regularly removing litter on area roads and waterways, schools and businesses coming together to implement recycling programs, and communities pursuing beautification projects.

​About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision.

Behavior change – steeped in education, research and behavioral science – is the cornerstone of Keep America Beautiful. We empower generations of community and environmental stewards with volunteer programs, hands-on experiences, educational curricula, practical advice and other resources. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 600 Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the collaborative support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.

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Are you part of the Midlands Green Business Program? Want to come learn about it? Join our networking event on July 31, 2019 from 3pm to 4:30pm at Dominion Energy SC! We will be learning some energy saving techniques that you can utilize in your business and at home. Click here to register.

On November 16, 2018, Keep the Midlands Beautiful held its seventh annual Gala for a Greener Midlands.  We would like to thank the River Center staff at Saluda Shoals Park for being a wonderful partner throughout the months leading up to the event, and we would like to thank Farm2Table Event and Catering Company for putting together a wonderful meal.  Without our sponsors, donors, venue hosts, and caterer, this gala would not have been such a success.  We had an incredible turnout, and our donors and sponsors went above and beyond by graciously donating silent and live auction items.  All of the proceeds from the gala will go toward beautification projects throughout the Midlands. 

This year, Executive Director Jacq Buck delivered a message regarding the importance of partnerships.  In 2018, it was more evident than ever before that Keep the Midlands Beautiful can accomplish more by partnering with fellow Midlands organizations.  Through each partnership, we have been able to gauge the needs of the community and create practical solutions that will last for years to come. 

Keep the Midlands Beautiful has served Richland County, Lexington County, and the City of Columbia since 1989.  As such, the 2019 Gala for a Greener Midlands will be a celebration—not only of another year of successful programs, but we will also be celebrating thirty years of service to the Midlands. Keep the Midlands Beautiful is proud to serve the Midlands, and we look forward to partnering with other Midlands organizations for many years to come.

If you would like more information about the program please click here for the program brochure!

If you are an Adopt-A-Waterway group, now is the perfect time to do a cleanup! If you need supplies please let us know by emailing the AAW coordinator at aaw@keepthemidlandsbeautiful.org

Have an upcoming event and want to include recycling? We also provide trash stands as well. Click here for more information.

Richland County Solid Waste & Recycling have compost bins for sale. Call 803-929-6000 for more information on how to order these.

Keep the Midlands Beautiful received the President’s Circle Award from Keep America Beautiful. KMB received this around at the National Conference in Washington D.C. on January 25th. Please click here to read more about it.