KEEP
TEXAS BEAUTIFUL SELECTED AS LEAD AGENCY FOR THE 17TH ANNUAL
NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY, APRIL 15-17, 2005
Texas
Youth to Join Millions of Their Peers as Part of International
Volunteering Movement
AUSTIN, TX AND WASHINGTON – (January 20, 2005) –
Youth Service America (YSA) announced the selection of Keep
Texas Beautiful, Inc. (KTB) as a Lead Agency for the 17th
Annual National Youth Service Day, April 15-17, 2005. Fifty
Lead Agencies across the country will coordinate local,
regional, or statewide celebrations of National Youth Service
Day, promoting projects and events and coordinating volunteer
recruitment, local media outreach, and hands-on participation
by elected officials. To strengthen this effort, State Farm
Companies Foundation, the Presenting Sponsor of National
Youth Service Day 2005, is making a substantial commitment
to the Lead Agency program.
National Youth Service Day (NYSD) is a public awareness
and education campaign that highlights the amazing contributions
that youth make to their communities 365 days a year. For
NYSD 2005, young people will design and lead service-learning
projects in areas ranging from literacy and the environment,
to healthcare, hunger, and help for the elderly. As the
largest service event in the world, engaging millions of
young people, NYSD draws together a remarkable consortium
of local, regional, and national partners, while supporting
youth on a lifelong path of service and civic engagement.
“It
is a distinct honor to work with such amazing Lead Agencies.
Their leadership increases the scale and visibility of youth
service year-round, and helps youth in America play a lead
role in learning about community needs, while giving their
time, energy, commitment, and idealism,” said Steve
Culbertson, president and CEO of Youth Service America.
“Millions of young people serving together on National
Youth Service Day creates a tidal wave of good and sends
a powerful message of hope and healing around the globe,”
Culbertson added.
KTB
will be working with youth statewide to implement projects
in conjunction with the Texas Department of Transportation
Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-off (April 2) and the
Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup™ (March
1-May 31). KTB in cooperation with the Texas Municipal League
will ask youth attending the Texas Youth Summit, in La Porte
on February 26-27, for suggestions and recommendations on
involving youth in litter prevention, beautification, cleanup,
and community improvement activities.
“We
are so proud to be chosen by Youth Service America to involve
our Texas youth in national efforts to serve their communities,”
says Joanne Weik, President of KTB. “An active participation
in the NYSD program will only help to support KTB’s
goals and efforts to engage future generations and will
give them an opportunity to part of something even bigger.”
Keep
Texas Beautiful, the statewide grassroots environmental
organization and affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, strives
to empower Texans through education to take responsibility
for enhancing their community environment. KTB works with
volunteers, elected officials, businesses and state and
federal agencies to ensure that every Texan has the opportunity
to take individual responsibility for making Texas the cleanest,
most beautiful state in the nation. For more information
on programs and events, call 1-800-CLEAN-TX or visit the
website at www.ktb.org.
Youth
Service America is a national nonprofit resource
center that partners with thousands of other organizations
committed to strengthening the youth service movement. YSA’s
programs and services help to strengthen the effectiveness,
sustainability, and scale of the youth service and service-learning
fields on a local, national, and global level. In addition
to National Youth Service Day (www.ysa.org/nysd) and Global
Youth Service Day, which take place concurrently each
April, YSA also hosts SERVEnet,
providing the largest database of volunteer opportunities
in America. For more information, visit www.ysa.org.
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