STAMFORD, Conn. (Aug. 18, 2016) – Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading nonprofit which envisions a country where every community is a clean, green and beautiful place to live, has selected 10 high school students from across the country to serve on its fifth national Youth Advisory Council, which is sponsored through the generous support of the Wrigley Company Foundation.
The Youth Advisory Council creates a national framework for youth engagement, building on the model of youth service among Keep America Beautiful’s network of more than 620 community-based affiliates. The newly-selected Youth Advisory Council members will provide an original point of view in assessing Keep America Beautiful programs, implementing local service projects, and acting as ambassadors and leaders for youth service at the national, state and local level. The Youth Advisory Council has piloted and developed Keep America Beautiful education programs to engage youth in support of the Keep America Beautiful mission.
Goals for 2016-2017 include raising awareness and increasing participation in youth-oriented Keep America Beautiful Schools initiatives to end littering. Over the past two years, the Keep America Schools initiative has produced an average 34 percent decrease in littering on participating school campuses, helping to significantly change littering behavior among elementary, middle and high school students.
The members of the 2016-2017 Youth Advisory Council class come from across the nation:
- Eugen Cotei, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Riley Dehr, North Platte, Nebraska
- Sammi Dorfan, San Diego, California
- Sarah Gain, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Reagan Gifford, Danville, Illinois
- Maegan Mikkelson, Cape Coral, Florida
- Brady Millwood, Boaz, Alabama
- Elena Prenovitz, Erie, Pennsylvania
- Nicholas Ranieri, Palm City, Florida
- Cyan Simmons, Chicago, Illinois
Through the generous support of the Wrigley Company Foundation, Youth Advisory Council members will meet with their counterparts via monthly conference calls and at Keep America Beautiful’s National Conference in Washington D.C., which takes place Jan. 24-26, 2017.
With the Foundation’s support, Youth Advisory Council members also will be provided with grants to produce a community service project in their own community.
About Keep America Beautiful
At Keep America Beautiful, we want to ensure that beauty is our lasting signature. A leading national nonprofit, Keep America Beautiful inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. We envision a country in which every community is a clean, green, and beautiful place to live. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful provides the expertise, programs and resources to help people End Littering, Improve Recycling, and Beautify America’s Communities. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 620 state and community-based Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the support of corporate partners, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. To donate or take action, visit kab.org. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, or view us on YouTube.
About the Wrigley Company Foundation
The mission of the Wrigley Company Foundation is to help improve the health of people and our planet through sustainable initiatives, including those focused on environmental stewardship, as well as local needs that ensure a healthy community. Since its founding in 1987, the Wrigley Company Foundation has donated more than $66 million USD to charitable organizations improving lives around the world. For more information, visit www.wrigley.com and www.mars.com.
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