City of Murphy, TX
05/13/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/13/2022 01:22
Keep Murphy Beautiful wins Gold Star status
MURPHY (May 13, 2022) The Keep Murphy Beautiful (KMB) program has been awarded the Gold Star affiliate designation from the Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) organization for the eleventh year in a row, achieving the highest level of recognition from the statewide organization.
The local KMB organization is one of only 93 of the state's 300 affiliates to achieve that level.
Keep Texas Beautiful is a statewide environmental and community improvement non-profit organization that oversees locally-based litter control and community beautification programs, like the one in Murphy.
Gold Star status affiliates earn the designation by sharing information on their mission and goals, answering questions about their economic development, their diversity and inclusion practices, or participating in the Beautify Texas Awards or Governor's Community Achievement Awards programs.
These award-winning programs are also required to provide a letter of support from their community. Keep Murphy Beautiful will be formally recognized as an 11-year Gold Star affiliate during the 55th Annual Keep Texas Beautiful Conference in June.
The KMB program, also known as the Green Team and headed by its president Dawnelle Collings, sponsors a wide variety of events and activities that seek to maintain Murphy's environment clean and verdant. Among them are the twice-yearly Clean & Green event, the Arbor Day tree-planting celebration, the Don't Mess with Texas clean-up campaign, and various other community clean-up events throughout the year.
"Our Keep Murphy Beautiful program actually reflects the attitude of our residents," said Collings. "Every neighborhood in Murphy is marked by clean, orderly homes, where the pride of ownership is very evident. The Keep Murphy Beautiful Green Team adopts that same attitude on a citywide basis."
The Gold Star program was initiated by Keep Texas Beautiful In 2004 to reward communities that sought to go above and beyond the established requirements. To remain in good standing with KTB, community affiliates must submit a report, pay dues, attend training, and participate in a KTB-endorsed activity annually.
For over a decade, the Keep Murphy Beautiful program has successfully implemented programs to clean up litter, reduce and recycle waste, educate local citizens, and beautify and enhance the local community. The program depends heavily on local volunteers that assist the Green Team in many of its clean-up, recycling, and tree-planting programs.