Keep Cincinnati Beautiful has won first place in the 2001 Keep America Beautiful national awards competition, the first time in 23 years it has received such an honor.

        The award will be presented at Keep America Beautiful's annual national conference Dec. 7 in Washington, D.C.

        Linda Holterhoff, executive director of Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, said Cincinnati won first place in its population category for litter prevention, beautification and community improvement, recycling and environmental stewardship.

        “We have worked hard to change attitudes and behaviors regarding litter prevention, recycling and beautification practices,” Ms. Holterhoff said.

        She said the agency's programs have been embraced by the public, who are more aware of how blight can harm neighborhoods.

        The agency's education department provided 16,000 students with 12 education programs. Staff members presented 611 litter-prevention and waste-minimization sessions.

        KCB introduced two new programs this year, “Eco-Art” and “Jitter, Don't Litter” which generated students' interest.

        The agency's “Don't Trash the 'Nati ... Keep Cincinnati Beautiful” campaign also was recognized as a superior program by the national organization.

        Keep Cincinnati Beautiful is nonprofit. It educates people about litter prevention and ways to reduce, reuse, recycle and manage waste materials.

        Two Northwest High School teachers are recipients of a $500 grant from the Hamilton County Educational Service Center for the 2001-02 school year.

        They are Alice Dasenbrock, a Spanish teacher, and Mary Beth Martin, an art teacher.

        The grant is for a class on collaborative exploration of Hispanic culture by Spanish and art students. Both classes visited the Chicago Institute of Art and the Chicago Mexican Museum to research the assignment.

        Funds will be received Saturday. Deadline for completing the project is May 6.

        The 350 patients at Summit Behavioral Healthcare (formerly the Pauline Warfield Lewis Center) need your extra help to enjoy Christmas.

        Lisa Crawford, volunteer coordinator, said they need volunteers to help with special holiday programs, parties and gifts.

        “We just want to make sure our patients have a good holiday,” she said. “We depend on community volunteers to bring the extras, which mean so much at holiday time.”

        To donate or volunteer, call 948-3777.

        Volunteers are needed to help answer phones and take pledge information during the WCET (Channel 48) membership pledge, which starts today and runs through Dec. 16.

        To help, call Tabari Douglass McCoy at 381-4033, Ext. 317.

        Allen Howard's “Some Good News” column runs Monday through Friday and Sundays. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements, or people who are committing acts of kindness, let him know at (513) 768-8362; at
       ahoward@enquirer.com; or by fax at (513) 768-8340.
       

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