CHARLESTON, W.Va. (June 12, 2020) – The West
Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) has canceled the 2020
Adopt-A-Highway (AAH) Volunteer Appreciation Day event scheduled for Saturday,
Aug. 1 in Beckley due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This would have marked
the 31st edition of the annual event.
Hosted by the WVDEP’s Adopt-A-Highway program,
the event is a day-long celebration of volunteers who pick up litter along West
Virginia highways.
The festivities normally include activities
such as bingo, arts and crafts, a catered lunch, and the presentation of the
annual AAH awards. Volunteers with 10, 15, 20, and 25 years of service receive
a lapel pin and a special AAH safety vest imprinted with the number of years
they have participated.
“We are deeply saddened to have to cancel our
Appreciation Day,” said WVDEP AAH coordinator, Kim Smith. “But the health and
well-being of our volunteers and staff is our main priority. We hope to see
everyone next year.”
AAH volunteers remove 4 million pounds of
trash from state highways each year, while recycling 10,000 pounds of glass,
5,000 pounds of plastic, and 8,000 pounds of aluminum. The AAH program
currently has 40,000 volunteers representing over 1,400 organizations that keep
more than 3,300 miles of West Virginia roads litter free.
For more WVDEP news and
information, go to www.dep.wv.gov. Also, connect with the agency on
all social media platforms. Follow @DEPWV on Twitter, Like us on Facebook
at https://www.facebook.com/depwv/, and find us on YouTube by
searching “Environment Matters.”
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