Community Pride winners always are chosen based on quality of effort, quantity of work done, consistency in good practices and commitment of all those involved in the project.

The 2014 winners are:

• Allens Creek Baptist Youth. Led by Seth and Heather Early, the youth group adopted a portion of Allens Creek. They conducted cleanups which resulted in the removal of 950 pounds of trash.

• Bethel Middle School sixth grade. Under the supervision of “lead teacher” Shawn Sampson, the sixthgrade teachers and students developed a unit on soil testing and conservation. They carried this project to farmers in the Bethel community, helping them to improve their crops and their environmental stewardship.

• Derek Littlejohn. As fire Chief and Code officer of Canton, Chief Littlejohn has ushered in a new ethic of cleanliness and environmental stewardship in Canton’s neighborhoods. These neighborhoods have greatly improved under his leadership.

• Garden Club of Waynesville. This group has funded, participated in and completed projects beautifying not only Waynesville, but other areas in Haywood County.

• Haywood County Public Library system. Several volunteers worked with local gardeners, farmers markets, the Master Gardeners and the county Extension Office to create a “Giving Garden” at the Canton branch and a seed library located at the Waynesville branch. 

• June Johnson. June developed the Maggie Valley Community Garden project to provide locally grown fruits and vegetables to soup kitchens and food pantries.

• Marita Pina. This teenage girl created a habitat for butterflies at Haywood Community College to help save threatened butterfly habitats and to create an environmental learning center for children.

• Public Art Commission of Waynesville and Tuscola High School Masonry Program. Working together, these two winners provided a beautiful aesthetic art piece in the Frog Level area of Waynesville. The sculpture is called “Chasing Tadpoles” and greatly enhances a previously barren section of landscape.

• Shannon Rabby. Rabby has coordinated the HCC Wildlife Club stream cleanups for six years. Under his leadership, the Wildlife Club has removed over eight tons of trash.

• Ronnie Mills of Riverview Farm and Garden. Mills has both cleaned trash from the banks of the Pigeon River and has also helped beautify the area with flower plantings, natural landscaping and animal display feeders.     

Besides its litter cleanups in each town and on a county road and its “Community Pride” Awards program, the CCC holds numerous programs in the elementary schools to teach good environmental stewardship, litter control and recycling. One of the most popular programs presented has been on litter control and recycling, featuring the appearance of the “Litter Troll.”

Last year the CCC sponsored and paid for a coloring book contest among all county kindergarten and first graders, with the theme being keeping our streets and roads clean. School personnel picked winners and 18 children had their drawings featured in the printed coloring book.

In existence since the year 2000, the CCC believes that a litter-free, environmentally conscious clean county is highly beneficial for the financial and physical health of its residents. 

For information about the work of the CCC, call Chairman Dr. Bill Skelton at 828.456.3575 or Secretary JoAnna Swanson at 828.452.1550.