Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/315858
94 l MACON MAGAZINE JUNE/JULY 2013 How did your career path lead you to Keep Macon/Bibb Beautiful? When the position of President/CEO of Keep Macon/ Bibb Beautiful became available last year, it seemed as if destiny was beckoning me to seek a new career path. My family and I have been involved for years with this organization through our volunteer efforts with the Cherry Blossom Festival which was founded under the leadership of Carolyn Crayton as an outgrowth of KMBBC. Beginning in 1999, we devoted untold hours to the festival by serving as a host family and Royal Court Chairs. I am a retired principal from the Bibb County School System with a 30-year career dedicated to providing young minds with the critical skills necessary to cope with the demands of the society they will confront in the future. The education component of Keep Macon/ Bibb Beautiful appeals to me because it forms a bridge between my commitment to encourage the youth of this community to take responsibility for nurturing and improving the environment and my efforts to enhance my own personal growth. It has often been said that it takes a community to raise and educate a child, and I firmly believe that maintaining a healthy, clean, and beautiful environment will promote a positive climate not only for our children but for all citizens of Macon and Bibb County. What is your biggest challenge as the new head of this department? My biggest challenge is attempting to make wise use of the limited resources available for this program in order to produce the maximum benefits for the community. I approach this position much as I did when I was entrusted with being in charge of a school. In my former career, I sought to develop beautiful character traits in students that would prepare them to value a quality of life free from harmful habits and ideas that could possibly litter their minds and bodies. Now my career goal is to frame a beautiful landscape for Macon and Bibb County through the mission of Keep Macon/Bibb Beautiful: To provide a better quality of life through litter prevention, recycling, and beautification. So far, under my direction and with tremendous assistance from volunteers, we are meeting the challenges of KMBBC by removing 118,020 pounds of litter from our streets and rivers, recycling 30,216 pounds of various recyclable materials, and facilitating the planting of 1,537 plants and trees. What are your goals for KMBBC? My goals are the following: To capture the energy, enthusiasm, and creativity of the entire community in sharing and taking pride in a cleaner, aesthetically cultural, Southern city. To take small steps and use practical measures in increasing awareness of methods of litter prevention and recycling in the community. To ensure that citizens in the community are knowledgeable of services available for litter pick-up, recycling, and beautification. To involve students and educators in programs that teach litter prevention and recycling such as Waste in Place. To inspire all citizens to be aware that keeping Macon and Bibb County clean and beautiful benefits the entire community. What is most rewarding about your job? So far, the most rewarding part of my job is the positive feedback and support I receive from the Bibb County Board of Commissioners, Mayor Robert Reichert, KMBBC, and other community leaders. It has been amazing to see the wide range of interest that various organizations have in wanting to be a part of improving the image of the community. With KMBBC being an affiliate of both the Keep America Beautiful and Keep Georgia Beautiful programs, I am provided the unique opportunity to network with colleagues in similar programs all over the country and the world. I especially appreciate the opportunities to partner with other community agencies as we share existing initiatives, generate new solutions through brainstorming sessions, and create new opportunities for teamwork. Building strategic alliances between nonprofit entities and public services to identify ways to pool resources and meet shortcomings with tactical response is an important part of our program's being beneficial to the community. This can best be demonstrated by the Community Garden in Pleasant Hill through the administration of an Edible NeighborWoods Grant. The garden features 31 trees (olive, pawpaw, pomegranate, persimmon, fig, plum, almond, and English walnut varieties) and an irrigation system provided by the grant. In addition to expanding Macon's tree canopy, the trees will provide fresh, locally grown, and nutritious food to an area that is considered a food desert. It has been personally gratifying to see the increase in community involvement. There has been an 85% increase in awareness and compliance to the Litter Prevention Program and a 239% increase in volunteer hours since I began this job in July 2012. Keep Macon/Bibb Beautiful Commission 794 Cherry Street I Macon, GA 31201 I pcarswell@kmbbc.org 478-330-7054 (O) I 478-330-7067 (Fax) A D V E R T I S E M E N T PAM CARSWELL Keep Macon/Bibb Beautiful P r e s i d e n t / C E O