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 |