Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful, the city of Valdosta, the city of Hahira, and Lowndes County are joining forces with several local organizations and volunteers for the Great American Cleanup.

“This year we will once again have multiple cleanup sites,” said H. Aaron Strickland, executive director of Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful. “In addition to our neighborhood cleanup site within the city of Valdosta, we also have a city of Hahira location, and a county location selected for the cleanup.”

The meeting point for the Valdosta cleanup will be the Boys and Girls Club located at 215 West North Street. Hahira residents who would like to volunteer at the Hahira site can meet at Hahira City Hall. The meeting point for the county site will be the corner of Nankin Road and Bray Lane (Clyattville area). The Great American Cleanup will take place from 8:30 a.m. - noon, Saturday, April 19. Volunteers are asked to sign/check in at the staging areas.

“We are trying to improve our communities, and this is a project that everyone that can participate in,” said Strickland. “I am always delighted to see so many organizations come together for a common goal — to make a county-wide difference.”

The Great American Cleanup, a grassroots beautification, litter prevention, and community improvement program, is the signature event of Keep America Beautiful. In addition to the Valdosta cleanup, the Adopt-A-Road/Street participants in Lowndes County, the city of Remerton, and the city of Valdosta will be conducting their cleanups on that day, and car litter bags will be given out at the Lowndes County drop-off centers during the week of the event. Participating city, county, and private schools will also have special events (cleanups, logo contests, etc.) on their campuses during the week of the cleanup as part of K.L.V.B.’s “Keep Our Schools Beautiful” campaign.

Citizens wanting to volunteer can call either H. Aaron Strickland (K.L.V.B.) at (229) 671-2499, or call Sementha Mathews, city of Valdosta Public Information Officer at (229) 259-3548. Strickland says, “Remember, litter will not pick itself up. Please come out and help our communities in need.”