Casey County, LIberty share $10,500 in PRIDE funds

SOMERSET — PRIDE has granted Casey County and Liberty up to $10,500 to pick up roadside litter, offer free trash drop-off events and remove dumps during PRIDE Spring Cleanup Month in April.
Casey County is eligible for $10,000, and $500 is available to Liberty. The funding levels are based on the number of road miles in the county and city.
PRIDE also will give the county and city T-shirts and cleanup supplies to distribute to spring cleanup volunteers.
“Local governments rally volunteers and target trash problems during the Spring Cleanup, and we are glad to support their efforts to create a clean, healthy environment for their citizens and visitors,” said Tammie Wilson of PRIDE, the nonprofit organization that sponsors the annual spring cleanup campaign in southern and eastern Kentucky.
“I encourage volunteers to partner with their local governments during Spring Cleanup Month,” Wilson said. “To meet our 2011 ‘Get Five for PRIDE’ challenge, each city and county is trying to increase its volunteer numbers by five percent over last year. For citizens, we’re asking everyone to bring at least five friends to volunteer with you. By working together, you can have fun and more quickly make a big difference in your community.”
“Volunteers work for free, but disposing of the trash costs money, and that’s where the spring cleanup funds come in,” Wilson added. “When a dump cleanup is too big or dangerous for volunteers, spring cleanup funds will help local governments pay a contractor to tackle the problem.”
All local governments in PRIDE’s 38-county service area are eligible for spring cleanup funds, thanks to a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
To qualify for its available funding, the local government must comply with funding guidelines. A match of 10 percent of the award must be met through volunteer hours.
Hinkle Contracting and Outdoor Venture Corporation are the Gold-Level Sponsors of the region-wide PRIDE spring cleanup. The silver-level sponsors are SouthEast Telephone, Blackboard Student Services and Walmart.
To volunteer to pick up litter during PRIDE Spring Cleanup Month, call your local PRIDE coordinator. PRIDE coordinators’ names and phone numbers are available by calling PRIDE, toll free, at (888) 577-4339 or by visiting www.kypride.org.