(DEC. 2, 2024) — Keep Cherokee Beautiful honored its volunteers at a recent Board of Commissioners meeting for exceptional services to the organization and the community throughout the year.
The Board also received an annual update on the non-profit’s progress and accomplishments.
Keep Cherokee Beautiful began in 2021 when District 3 Commissioner Benny Carter requested to resurrect the program. The goal was to create a program that was volunteer led and county supported.
In 2024, 35 unique Adopt a Mile partners accounted for 54 miles of adopted roadway. When Adopt a Mile partners adopt a roadway, they commit to doing at least one clean up per quarter and reporting the results to the Cherokee County Recycling Center. The Recycling Center provides all of the necessary equipment including safety vests, trash grabbers, and trash bags.
Adopt a Mile partners removed 13,440 pounds of litter from Cherokee County roadways – 354 volunteers participated.
Also during 2024, Keep Cherokee Beautiful organized the annual electronics recycling event, received a $3,145 micro grant from Keep Georgia Beautiful, supported the Chamber of Commerce’s Earth Day recycling event, organized two roadside cleanups as part of the Great American Clean Up, supported the Lake Allatoona Association’s Great Lake Allatoona Clean Up, hosted the Keep Georgia Beautiful Regional Retreat at the L.B. Ahrens Recreation Center, supported the city of Woodstock’s Hazardous Waste event, published eight electronic newsletters throughout the year, and increased their reach on Facebook by 353 percent.
Partner of the Year
Allatoona Lake Warriors earned the Partner of the Year Award for their work in keeping the lake free of litter and debris. The group of over 225 volunteers clean up over 270 miles of shoreline. Every weekend, the volunteers travel the lake shores and coves by various transportation means.
The group also helped install trash booms along creeks and tributaries, which help prevent trash from flowing downstream and entering the lake.
Volunteer of the Year
Etowah High School student Hayden Raffield earned the Volunteer of the Year Award for 2024. Raffield is the founder of Etowah Eagles Service Connection, a group that allows over 160 students to serve the community through Habitat for Humanity, the Lake Allatoona Association, and Keep Cherokee Beautiful among others. Raffield has led several volunteer efforts and most of Keep Cherokee Beautiful’s litter cleanups and recycling events, as well as Woodstock’s recycling events.
Raffield also founded the Keep Cherokee Beautiful Student Council. He also participated in the General Assembly Page Program for State Rep. Jordan Ridley, is a member of MU Alpha Theta, Beta Club, National English Honor Society, is an AP Scholar Honor Student, and is a UGA Merit Certificate recipient.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Keep Cherokee Beautiful awarded Linda Hartsfield with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her decades of volunteerism with the Lake Allatoona Association. Hartsfield was traveling and unable to attend the meeting.
Hartsfield’s professional career began with the Federal Power Commission in Washington, D.C. in 1976. She worked for the Government Printing Office and Federal Highway Administration in Atlanta from late 1976 to 1978. In January 1979, Hartsfield began her career with the Corps of Engineers on Allatoona Lake until she retired in 2017. Hartsfield coordinated efforts for the Great Lake Allatoona Cleanup, handling the needs of the volunteers and ensuring the annual event’s success. Since her retirement, she has continued her volunteerism in keeping the lake clean.
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