STAMFORD, Conn. (Oct. 4, 2018) – Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, is partnering with Duracell to distribute 9V batteries, valued at more than $2 million, to 42 Keep America Beautiful community-based affiliates for the 2018 Duracell/Keep America Beautiful 9V Battery Grant Program. Duracell’s 9V Battery Grant Program is among the largest in-kind donations Keep America Beautiful has received in its 65-year history.
This is the second round of the 9V Battery Grant Program sponsored by Duracell. In two rounds of grants, Duracell has donated nearly $3.5 million to a total of 72 communities.
“Duracell is proud to partner with Keep America Beautiful to distribute batteries to communities that most need them,” said Richard Abramowitz, Duracell’s director of communications and government relations. “While you can’t always prevent fires, you can always have the trusted power of Duracell in your smoke detectors to alert you.”
According to the National Fire Protection Association, two-thirds of all fire deaths occur in homes in which smoke alarms either aren’t present or aren’t working. The batteries from the grant program are most often used in home safety devices, such as smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Grant recipients will distribute the batteries with the assistance of local fire departments or housing authority organizations to benefit community residents. Follow these recommendations for proper battery care and use provided by Duracell.
“Keep Dallas Beautiful was fortunate to be able to share the donation of 9V batteries from Duracell with Fire Prevention and Inspection Division of the Dallas Fire-Rescue, the Dallas County Fire Marshall and other fire departments in Dallas county and its neighbors,” said Brenda Finch, executive director, Keep Dallas Beautiful.
Dallas firefighters worked with the local ROTC of a neighborhood high school to hand out batteries at Keep Dallas Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup – Spring Clean Tipton Park. The Dallas County Fire Marshall distributed the batteries to volunteer fire departments in rural areas of the county.
“The donation has had a great impact on budget-strained departments,” added Finch. “Our low-income neighborhoods appreciate the help to keep their smoke alarms working, preventing the tragedy of losing a home, pets and injuring firefighters, which happened in Dallas earlier this year.”
“The Duracell 9V Battery Grant Program provides another opportunity to highlight the importance of safety within our communities and extend our partnership further to include your local fire departments and emergency services for distribution to those in need,” said Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Helen Lowman.
About Duracell
The Duracell Company and its iconic Duracell brand was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. (NYSE-BRK) in 2016. Since its humble beginnings, Duracell has grown to be the leader in the single-use battery market in North America. In a world where trust is at a premium, Duracell products can be trusted to power all of life’s everyday moments. Our products are trusted in the devices that keep people connected, protect their families, entertain them, and simplify their increasingly mobile lifestyles. Berkshire Hathaway is a $210B holding company owning subsidiaries that engage in diverse business activities. Visit www.duracell.com for more information.
About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, we strive 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 stewards with volunteer programs, hands-on experiences, curricula, practical advice and other resources to deliver measurable environmental, economic and social benefits. The organization is driven by more than 600 state and local affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities and government officials. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.
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(Pictured above, left to right: Keon Montgomery, Deputy Director – City of Phoenix Housing Department; Cindy Stotler, Housing Director – City of Phoenix; Tom Waldeck, President & CEO, Keep Phoenix Beautiful; and Dave Wipprecht, Engineer – City of Phoenix Fire Department.)