Lake Charles State Park Organizing Litter Pickup for September 15, 2018
Volunteers needed to help keep Lake Charles State Park beautiful
Friends of Lake Charles State Park – Volunteers are needed to participate in Lake Charles’ annual fall litter pickup September 30th from 9:00 am to 11:00am. Sponsored by Lake Charles State Park, the cleanup is being held in conjunction with the Great Arkansas Cleanup (GAC), the annual fall statewide litter pickup campaign promoted by Keep Arkansas Beautiful (KAB).
“Litter continues to be a problem at Lake Charles State Park,” said Meghan Moore of Powhatan, local coordinator of this year’s cleanup. “It can leave a negative impact on our community for years to come. By participating in this year’s Great Arkansas Cleanup, local residents can help make Lake Charles State Park a vibrant center of our community.”
Everyone in Northeast Arkansas is encouraged to participate in this year’s litter-pickup effort. Civic and service organizations, church and youth groups, school groups and clubs, scouts, individuals, families, neighborhoods, and businesses can organize cleanup teams and pitch in.
Volunteers will sign-in at the Nature Center where they will be given a T-shirt, trash bag and gloves. Kayaks and life vests will be available to those who would like to aid in the water cleanup effort. Kayakers are encouraged to bring their own kayaks if they would like
“Litter is everyone’s responsibility,” Moore said. “Although not everyone litters, we do all live in this community together and must work together to keep it clean and green. We do this out of community pride to maintain our outstanding quality of life and to improve our local economy.”
This year’s local cleanup is sponsored by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, Keep America Beautiful and Keep Arkansas Beautiful Foundation.
About the Great Arkansas Cleanup
The Great Arkansas Cleanup grew out of an effort that began more than 40 years ago as the Greers Ferry Lake and Little Red River Cleanup. In 1985, U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers guided legislation requiring an annual pickup event during the weekend after Labor Day on all federal lands. This law, the Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Act, honors the founder of the event. Mr. Garner continued his advocacy for a clean and litter-free environment as a member of the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Foundation board of directors until his passing in 2014. KAB organized the first statewide GAC in 1989.
About Keep Arkansas Beautiful
The Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission (KAB), consisting of a professional staff of three and a nine-member advisory board appointed by the governor, is a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. As a certified state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful Inc., KAB inspires and educates indviduals to reduce litter, recycle and keep Arkansas beautiful. KAB is funded through its 1 percent portion of the eighth-cent Conservation Tax and, by mobilizing volunteers, returns to the state a cost benefit of more than $6 in community service for each program dollar spent. For more information, visit KeepArkansasBeautiful.com or stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current membership chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.