Seward’s Annual “Great American Clean-Up” Wins First Place Award at “Keep Nebraska Beautiful” Conference
The annual Seward County Chamber Development Partnership’s (SCCDP) Spring of 2022 “City Wide Clean-Up Day” won first place in the statewide “Keep Nebraska Beautiful” Great American Clean-up competition at the 2022 “Keep Nebraska Beautiful” Conference in Nebraska City at the Lied Conference Center. The award was presented at their annual awards dinner and accepted by SCCDP representative Donna Hendrickson. The SCCDP co-sponsors and coordinates the annual community recycle day in the spring every year, working with a host of civic groups and businesses to “clean up” the community and rid the community of waste and unwanted materials. The application for the KNB award was prepared by Jean Kolterman-local Chair of the “Keep Seward Beautiful” program and her committee.
The awards were presented by Jennifer Lawson- President and CEO of “Keep America Beautiful” and Bob Verkuilen-President and CEO of “Keep Nebraska Beautiful.”
The City of Seward also was named First Runner-Up in the annual “Deanie Anderson” Keep Nebraska Beautiful Award for their overall beautification and recycling efforts in the community. The award was based on the Community of Seward’s outstanding cooperative efforts towards recycling, the new parks and recreation programs, the creative and successful Downtown Restoration and Redevelopment and the overall spirit of volunteerism and work to assist in the “Keep Seward Beautiful” programing. South Souix City, Nebraska was named first place for the Anderson award. The application was prepared by Jean Kolterman-local Chair of the “Keep Seward Beautiful” program and her committee.
“The First Place award for the annual Clean-Up day is most deserved,” stated Jean Kolterman of the Keep Seward Beautiful Committee. “The SCCDP and area groups work very hard to have a successful clean-up event every year after year. This clean-up effort and event allows the community to clean-up and remove a wide variety of “eye-sores” in town and make Seward a better place to live. The work of the SCCDP and those involved for this “Clean-up” are to be commended for their organized program. The SCCDP is most deserving of this honor and First Place award” and we did not want them to go unnoticed for all their hard work and wanted to thank them, that is why we nominated them.”
The Nebraska City awards evening program featured a special “Nebraska” dinner, complete with apple dessert, prior to the awards presentation. Attending the event, representing Seward included Phil and Donna Hendrickson-SCCDP, Gerry and Mary Meyer-Nebraska National Guard Museum, Jon Kruse-Seward Rotary Club, Bonnie Kruse-GFWC Seward Woman’s Club and Seward Rotary Club, Julya Metschke-SHS and SHS FCCLA- Vice President, Kaylie Nelson-Seward High and SHS FCCLA President, and Clark Kolterman-Seward Co. Visitor’s Bureau and Keep Seward Beautiful Committee.
Photo: L-R Front Row-Kaylie Nelson-SHS FCCLA President, Bob Verkuilen-KNB CEO, Jon Kruse-Seward Rotary, Donna Hendrickson-SCCDP Representative, Jennifer Lawson-CEO and Presidnet KAB, Bonnie Kruse-Seward Rotary and GFWC Seward Woman’s Club, Mary Meyer-Nebraska National Guard Museum, Julya Metschke-SHS FCCLA Vice President, Back Row L-R Phil Hendrickson-SCCDP, Clark Kolterman-KSB Committee and Seward Co. Visitor’s Bureau, Gerry Meyer-Nebraska National Guard Museum.