Keep American Beautiful Commended by President Bush

Stamford, CT— Answering the call to serve and volunteer for Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup™ has earned accolades from the White House. As Honorary Chair of the Great American Cleanup™, President George W. Bush commended the more than two million volunteers who take part each spring in the nation’s largest annual community improvement program.

“Through volunteer service programs such as the Great American Cleanup, we continue to preserve our natural heritage for future generations and make our communities more vibrant places to visit and live,” the President said.

In a written statement, the President also applauded Keep America Beautiful “for 50 years of encouraging Americans to take responsibility for improving the environment.”

“This is truly a celebratory moment for our 50th anniversary. We are very proud that President Bush has recognized Keep America Beautiful as an organization that makes a positive impact on our country as a cleaner, healthier and more beautiful place to live,” said G. Raymond Empson, President of Keep America Beautiful, Inc. “Our nationwide network of more than 500 affiliates and our millions of volunteers are constantly answering the call to serve America by taking care of their local environment, not just during the Great American Cleanup but 365 days of the year.”

The Great American Cleanup™ encourages Americans to participate in hands-on activities that dramatically improve their communities. More than 30,000 events in 14,000 communities took place this March - May, including renovating playgrounds, cleaning up waterways and seashores, picking up litter, planting trees, beautifying parks, graffiti removal and building restoration, conducting recycling collections, youth education and litter-free events. Last year, more than 2.3 million people volunteered for the Great American Cleanup™.

The 2003 Great American Cleanup National Sponsors are: Pepsi-Cola Company, GAIN® Laundry Detergent, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, LYSOL Brand Products, Film-Gard Plastic Sheeting, Waste Management, Inc, and others.