What a Wild Ride it’s Been: Our beautification ups and downs
What a roller-coaster our work has been over the last few decades. Starting slow and steady in 1999, the association was ready to roll. The ride enjoyed highs and lows for a while until the inevitable trudging along lead into a dark tunnel of the unknown. For several years, the group was simply inactive. In 2015, Wilson County Judge Richard “Dickie” Jackson invited a few community leaders to see what they could do to get things back on track. With the guidance of several of the previous leaders, the ride started uphill again. Beautification Awards were presented and publicized, special projects reached new highs, and the momentum really pick-up speed. With hands raised to the sky, the excitement reached new thrills when we proudly joined Keep Texas Beautiful as an Affiliate in 2018!
Now, take a seat with us for a quick glimpse of our exciting ride highlights!
- Speakers Forums – These are hosted by KWCB several times a year, inviting the public to learn more about topics presented by various speakers, including students and environmental specialists.
- Beautification Awards – Every quarter we present Beautification Awards to local businesses for their efforts to make our county more beautiful. We feature them on our website and Facebook pages, too.
- Directory – Our South Texas Beautification and Environmental Directory is key project for us, thanks to our members and sponsors. We distribute 1,500 copies free of charge and offer a fun, virtual “flip-book” of the directory on our website, WCBA-TX.org. The directory is printed locally and highlights our awardees, events, beautification events, recycling, environmental products and businesses. All proceeds from this directory directly fund our association and our projects.
- A Big Texas Welcome Project- This somewhat famous “Texas” welcome spot at an entrance to our county seat, Floresville, was created so long ago, nobody can remember. Our volunteers gave it a bright paint-up to restore the big welcome it represents!
- Litter Pick-ups – We encourage litter pick-up events by publicizing that we gladly loan our grabbers, safety vests, gloves, publicity expertise, and supplies to any group who wants to plan a litter pick-up. We also help them notify the county commissioners for additional help.
- KTB/H-E-B Green Bag Grant – We were over-the-top excited when we were selected as one of this year’s winners! We are almost finished with the project to beautify the entrance for the Children’s Alliance of South Texas, where victims of abuse and their families receive safe help and counseling. The entrance was bare dirt, ugly sidewalks and uneven ground which wasn’t very welcoming to families already facing rugged challenges. With the help of our County, H-E-B in Floresville, local student groups and many others, we are heading up the beautification of the CAST front entrance.
We can’t wait to show you the finished project, so stay seated! Follow us on Facebook and KWCB-tx.org or WCBA-TX.org
Blog post written by Elaine Mazurek Stephens, KWCB Director
Stephens is the former president of the Beautify San Antonio Association where she worked for many years with one of the founders of KTB and Keep American Beautiful, “O.P.” Schnabel, along with Sadie Ray and Waldo Graff in the early 1970s.
