Gadsden State wins state award for clean-up project for third year

Gadsden, Ala. – Gadsden State Community College was recognized by Coca-Cola UNITED during the annual Alabama PALS Governor’s Awards Ceremony. The College was recognized on November 12 at the Wynlakes Golf & Country Club in Montgomery for its Don’t Drop It on Alabama project.  This is the third year in a row that Gadsden State has been recognized with this statewide award.
 
“The collective effort to remove litter from our surrounding communities reflects our commitment to stewardship, responsibility, and the preservation of a cleaner, healthier environment for all,” said Lynn Patterson, director of Student Activities at Gadsden State.
 
During the Don’t Drop It on Alabama event, student groups competed in cleaning up streets and public common areas in Gadsden, Anniston and Centre. As a result, they collected 689 bags of trash. Members of all five Gadsden State campuses participated in the cleanup effort. The litter collection earned Gadsden State a $1,000 prize.


 
Joining Patterson for the presentation by Gov. Kay Ivey were Andy Green, dean of Student Services; Athletic Director Blake Lewis; Clerk, Stacie Tucker; and Misti Morgan, Administrative Assistant to the dean of Student Services.
 
“This award is not just a recognition of our efforts but a reminder of what we can accomplish together when we work toward a cleaner, healthier environment for all,” she said.
 
Patterson made the clean-up project a competition to see which student organization could collect the most garbage. The PTK Honor Society earned first place, followed by the Cardinals Baseball Team in second and the Student Government Association in third. Each winning group received medals—and, of course, well-deserved bragging rights.
 
Coca-Cola UNITED is a longtime partner of Alabama PALS, a statewide organization dedicated to making the state more beautiful by sponsoring programs focused on cleaning up litter in Alabama’s streets, streams, campuses and coastlines. Through education and annual anti-littering campaigns, Alabama PALS has partnered with Alabama counties, cities, communities, schools and other organizations to enhance the Alabama environment by preventing littering and picking up litter.