Like a kid anxiously awaiting a Christmas gift, Keep Fremont Beautiful has been keeping close tabs on the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive grant program.
And a couple of weeks ago the organization found out it had been awarded a gift that keeps on giving.
“Its always a great feeling when the grant award notifications are released because then we know we are able to provide all of these opportunities for the citizens in our community the following year,” said Casey Vaughan, Executive Director of Keep Fremont Beautiful.
Keep Fremont Beautiful received two grants from NDEE totaling over $120,000.
The lions share of that funding, just over $96,000, will be going to education programs that help the youngest generation of Fremonters learn that keeping the community beautiful is everyone’s responsibility.
The lessons start in Kindergarten, and Keep Fremont Beautiful checks back in on the students in 2nd and 4th grade to keep the lessons about recycling, litter reduction and community beautification fresh in their minds.
“It’s extremely important to teach these lessons at a young age because they stick with the kids. Then they go home and share the information they learn with parents, siblings and friends even,” said Vaughan.
Another portion of the grant, just under $27,000, will be going to organizing community waste reduction events that help businesses and residents get rid of things like hazardous waste or shred sensitive documents that need to be disposed of.
Its a lot of work keeping Fremont clean and Vaughan says all of the work she and Keep Fremont Beautiful does wouldn’t be possible without these grants.
“When you live in a clean and beautiful place you are more likely to work to keep it clean and beautiful, and then it builds pride in your community. By teaching these lessons and giving people the education and tools and keeping in contact with them its helping keep our community clean, healthy and beautiful for everyone to be able to live work and thrive,” said Vaughan.
