Adopt-A-Highway Celebrates 30 Years Of Volunteers
(May 2, 2018) –On Tuesday, May 1, 2018, PalmettoPride celebrated the 30th anniversary of Adopt-A-Highway at the annual awards luncheon in Columbia. Volunteers and county coordinators gathered to celebrate and be recognized for county, region, and statewide Adopt-A-Highway Awards. A list of award winners is included with this release.
Since 1988, Adopt-A-Highway volunteers have been cleaning up litter along South Carolina highways, providing a crucial source of litter removal services from the mountains to the seas. The SC Department of Transportation county employees have also dedicated efforts to this program, coordinating pickup and supplies for their groups.
“South Carolina owes these incredible volunteers a great debt of gratitude for the years of dedication and litter removal,” said Mallory Biering, Adopt-A-Highway Program Manager. “State and local governments do not have budgets for cleanup crews and the service these volunteers provide is crucial for cleanup.”
The benefits of adopting a highway are many – personal pride, being active, community service hour requirements – but perhaps the most important reason is that volunteers connect to their community, fostering a responsibility for its overall health. Clean communities are safe communities. Clean communities are good for tourism and economic development.
“Research shows that people litter where they feel no connection or sense of ownership,” said Biering. “If everyone would adopt a road and spend time cleaning up litter, we would have a much cleaner state.”
The dedication of the many volunteers in South Carolina’s Adopt-A-Highway program has helped state and local governments save millions in costs to pick up litter. The financial benefit or “cost avoidance” this provides to state and local governments equates to $1,460,187.
Adopt-A-Highway 2017 Annual Statistics
- 21,905 volunteers
- 1,654 groups
- 4,658.97 miles adopted
- 1,545,018 pounds of trash collected
- 166 new groups
For more information about Adopt-A-Highway, please contact Mallory Biering at mbiering@palmettopride.org or 803-758-6034.
About PalmettoPride & Keep South Carolina Beautiful
PalmettoPride is a 501C3 non-profit litter prevention organization in South Carolina. We engage citizens to take an active role in keeping their communities clean and beautiful. Our programs have helped reduce litter by more than 60%. For more information, please visit www.palmettopride.org.
Group of the Year County Award Winners
| Anderson County | Palmetto High AFJROTC |
| Bamberg County | Bamberg County VFW Post 10595 |
| Barnwell County | Barnwell County Sheriff’s Department |
| Beaufort County | Sun City Veterans |
| Berkeley County | A Smard Idea! & In Skipper’s Honor |
| Calhoun County | Town of Neeses |
| Charleston County | SC Center for Birds of Prey |
| Cherokee County | SC Santee Indian Nation |
| Chester County | Town of Richburg |
| Chesterfield County | In memory of CPL Kelly Keith |
| Clarendon County | Sons of Confederate Veterans |
| Colleton County | RCBS Community |
| Dillon County | Josh Andrews 2010 |
| Edgefield County | Concordia Lodge #50 AFM |
| Fairfield County | Macedonia Baptist Church Brotherhood |
| Georgetown County | Sampit Community Crime Watch Action Group |
| Greenville County | Bible Baptist Church |
| Greenwood County | FujiFilm U.S.A. |
| Hampton County | Sand Hill Baptist Church |
| Horry County | Island Green Men’s Golf Association |
| Jasper County | Rosemary Road Outreach Community |
| Kershaw County | Knights Hill Neighbors |
| Lancaster County | Group Build/Communities in Schools |
| Laurens | Carolina Pastures |
| Lee County | Mechanicsville United Methodist Men |
| Lexington County | McGregor Presbyterian Church |
| Marion County | Azalea Garden Club |
| Marlboro County | English-Adams Family |
| McCormick County | Savannah Lakes Village Road Warriors |
| Newberry County | St. Luke’s Lutheran Men in Mission |
| Oconee County | REBLES in Grey 2027 |
| Orangeburg County Eastern | Hebron Grace Home |
| Orangeburg County Central | K.R.D.M. United |
| Pickens County | Lawrence Chapel United Methodist Church |
| Saluda County | Saluda Middle School BETA Club & Student Council |
| Spartanburg County | Spartanburg Methodist College |
| Sumter County | The Ferry Keepers |
| Williamsburg County | Mouzon Community Team |
| York County | Community Pride |
Group of the Year – Region Award Winners
| District One | Kershaw County | Knights Hill Neighbors |
| District Two | Laurens County | Carolina Pastures |
| District Three | Spartanburg County | Spartanburg Methodist College |
| District Four | Lancaster County | Group Build/Communities in Schools |
| District Five | Marion County | Azalea Garden Club |
| District Six | Colleton County | RCBS Community |
| District Seven | Aiken County | Church of Our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ |
Group of the Year – State Award Winner
| District Five | Marion County | Azalea Garden Club |
Adopt-A-Highway Coordinator of the Year – Region Award Winner
| District One | Kershaw County | Dee Michaelsen |
| District Two | Laurens County | Jay Weisner, III |
| District Three | Oconee County | Lisa Nock |
| District Four | Lancaster County | Julie Deese |
| District Five | Horry County | Dixie Anderson |
| District Six | Berkeley County | Sarah McCarthy-Smith |
| District Seven | Aiken County | Barbara Sanders |
Adopt-A-Highway Coordinator of the Year – State Award Winner
| District Six | Berkeley County | Sarah McCarthy-Smith |