Adopt-A-Highway Honored at the State House

Columbia, SC (May 7, 2019) – The South Carolina Legislature proclaimed May as Adopt-A-Highway Month and honored the 21,005 volunteers and group winners with a concurrent resolution on May 7, 2019. The Adopt-A-Highway cleanup group Grays Girls from Jasper County will be awarded the 2018 State Group of the Year.

“These volunteers do it because they care about their communities,” said Sarah Lyles, Executive Director for PalmettoPride. “They want to make a difference and lead by example, hoping with each cleanup that litter will not come back.”

The financial benefit or “cost avoidance” volunteer litter pickup programs provided to state and local governments equates to nearly $6,000,000. Because of the dedication of the many volunteers in South Carolina’s Adopt-A-Highway program, their efforts have helped state and local governments save millions in costs to pick up litter.

“South Carolina is a beautiful state and maintaining that beauty can be a daunting task,” added Lyles. “If it were not for these incredible volunteers, state and local governments would have to cover the cost of litter removal, something that is needed but often not available to the extent needed in administrative budgets.”

The benefits of adopting a highway are many – personal pride, honoring a loved one, community service hour requirements – but perhaps the most important reason is that volunteers can connect to their community, building a responsibility for its overall health. Clean communities are safe communities and help increase local tourism and economic development.

Since 1988, Adopt-A-Highway volunteers have been cleaning up litter along South Carolina highways, providing a crucial source of litter removal services. PalmettoPride has coordinated the program in partnership with the SC Department of Transportation since 2012.

Adopt-A-Highway 2018 Annual Statistics

  • 21,005 volunteers
  • 1,574 groups
  • 4,875 miles adopted
  • 1,093,539 pounds of trash collected
  • 150 new groups

For more information about Adopt-A-Highway, please contact PalmettoPride at info@palmettopride.org or 803-758-6034.

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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.

Adopt-A-Highway Award Winners

Group of the Year County Award Winners
Abbeville County Ron Alexander
Aiken County The Bushees
Allendale County ACI
Anderson County Fred Gallegos
Bamberg County Denmark Lion’s Club
Barnwell County Barnwell County Sheriff’s Department
Beaufort County Fripp Point Road Community
Berkeley County A Smard Idea! & In Skipper’s Honor
Calhoun County Sandy Run Ruritans
Charleston County James Island Pride
Chester County Minter Road Crew
Chesterfield County In memory of CPL Kelly Keith
Clarendon County Jordan Methodist Church
Colleton County Springtown Oakman Branch Neighborhood Crime Prevention Group
Dillon County Josh Andrews 2010
Edgefield County Titan Peach Farms
Fairfield County Watts Family
Georgetown County Sampit Community Crime Watch Group
Greenville County Delta Sigma Theta
Greenwood County Greenwood Public Works
Hampton County Gifford Lodge 359
Horry County Town of Surfside Beach
Jasper County Grays Girls
Kershaw County Knights Hill Neighbors
Lancaster County CIS/YouthBuild Lancaster
Laurens County TJ’s Scrap Metal
Lee County Lee Central High School JROTC
Lexington County VFW Post 8738
Marion County Azalea Garden Club
Marlboro County English-Adams Family
McCormick County Savannah Lakes Village Road Warriors
Oconee County Knights of Columbus
Eastern Orangeburg County Hebron Grace Home
Pickens County Foothills Animal Hospital
Richland County Westinghouse
Saluda County Saluda Lodge #103
Union County Lukesville Community Care Club
Williamsburg County Sandridge Community
York County Community Pride
Group of the Year – Region Award Winners
District One Lee County Lee Central High School JROTC
District Two Abbeville County Ron Alexander
District Three Greenville County Delta Sigma Theta
District Four Chester County Minter Road Crew
District Five Williamsburg County Sandridge Community
District Six Jasper County Grays Girls
District Seven Clarendon County Jordan Methodist Church
Group of the Year – State Award Winner
District Six Jasper County Grays Girls
Adopt-A-Highway Coordinator of the Year – State Award Winner
District Five Georgetown County Ernestine M. Williams
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