Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, presented Keep Knoxville Beautiful with its 2018 President’s Circle Award recognition at Keep America Beautiful’s recent National Conference, which took place in Baltimore, Maryland.

The President’s Circle Award recognizes exemplary performance by certified affiliates of Keep America Beautiful in creating clean, green and beautiful communities.

In qualifying for the President’s Circle Award, Keep Knoxville Beautiful has met Keep America Beautiful’s standards of merit by conducting an annual Community Appearance Index, calculating the affiliate’s cost/benefit ratio, and administering initiatives to end littering, improve recycling, and beautify Knoxville’s community. Keep Knoxville Beautiful is one of Keep America Beautiful’s more than 600 community-based affiliates whose programs, initiatives and efforts, supported by millions of volunteers, help transform public spaces into beautiful places.

“One of our nation’s most effective grassroots community resources is our local affiliates, which engage millions of Americans in volunteer service each year,” said Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Helen Lowman. “Our affiliates provide real solutions that help create communities that are socially connected, environmentally healthy and economically sound. They enrich the communities they serve and help create opportunities for Americans to do beautiful things.”

“Keep Knoxville Beautiful is proud to be the local Keep America Beautiful affiliate for Knox County. For 40 years, we have worked to promote a cleaner, greener, more beautiful Knox County. We are excited to see what we can accomplish in 2019”, said Alanna McKissack, Keep Knoxville Beautiful Executive Director