Keep Alachua County Beautiful

Contact: Gina Hawkins, Executive Director Keep Alachua County Beautiful [email protected] (352) 371-9444 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3-14-22 Great American Cleanup set to restore community, recognize volunteers ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - Keep Alachua County Beautiful has set the date for the 2022 Great American Cleanup. The 2022 GAC will commence on Saturday, April 9, 2022, at 9 A.M. Co-sponsored by the City of Gainesville and Alachua County, this neighborhood cleanup event is officially celebrating its 30th year. COVID-19 distanced people around the world, and the cleanliness of our local community suffered for it. As many of the most loyal Keep Alachua County Beautiful volunteers were social distancing for a second year, community action sank to an all-time low and litter piled up. Now, as the nation begins to reopen its doors, Keep Alachua County Beautiful is proud to relaunch the Great American Cleanup event to help restore the well-being of our community. Now in its 31st year as the local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, KACB is ready for a redo of the 30-year GAC anniversary celebration. To that end, the annual Great American Cleanup will be “over the top” this year! On Saturday, April 9, 2022, KACB will recognize our volunteers with awards, prizes and food at Albert “Ray” Massey (Westside) Park, 1001 NW 34th St., Gainesville, FL 32605. The cleanup portion of the event for Gainesville and unincorporated Alachua County will run from 9 a.m. until noon on April 9 and KACB will present awards and prizes for all at the noon “after” party. Other dates for cleanup events are available, especially in the smaller municipalities in Alachua County. We realize April 9 will not work for everyone in the entire county to clean up but we want all of our sponsors and volunteers to join us for the after party. Check out our website calendar (https://www.kacb.org/calendar) for more event dates or choose your own when you register to volunteer. To volunteer, please visit https://www.kacb.org/events. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged and will qualify your group and yourself for prizes. Also, be sure to submit your results on our website to qualify for even more prizes. Individuals, groups and organizations are all encouraged to participate. Assignments, safety gear, and other materials and supplies will be provided. Participants may pick up assignments and supplies at Massey Park on the day of the main event, or before April 9 during regular office hours at 211 SW 4th Avenue Gainesville, Suite 1. Alachua County residents are also permitted free drop-off of used tires from passenger vehicles and light trucks during the event. Rims will not be accepted though, and residents are limited to six tires each. After so many long months indoors, KACB is excited to help residents of Alachua County get back outside to help restore the community again. In 2019, Keep America Beautiful affiliates and more than 500,000 volunteers improved 13,489 public spaces and collected 42 million pounds of litter, debris, and recyclables. KACB organized over 5,500 volunteers in Alachua County! This year, even more participants will be needed to tackle the trash piled up in our community. To register, become a sponsor, or for more information on other available dates for cleanup and beautification projects, please visit our website, kacb.org, or contact KACB at (352) 371-9444 or [email protected]. Please be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @keepalachuacountybeautiful.