Keep Dauphin County Beautiful

Left – Keep Reading Beautiful’s Advisory Board. Right – Keep Dauphin County Beautiful volunteers clean up Industrial Road.

(November 9, 2023) – Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful welcomes its newest affiliates, Keep Reading Beautiful and Keep Dauphin County Beautiful. Keep Reading Beautiful will be a program of and housed in the City of Reading Public Works Department and Keep Dauphin County Beautiful will be a program of and housed in the Dauphin County Department of Solid Waste and Recycling.

To complete the affiliation process, each group conducted Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Community Assessment, which is done to gather data about the area serviced. Keep Reading Beautiful’s service area is Reading City and Keep Dauphin County Beautiful services areas outside of Harrisburg, which has its own affiliate. Data collected included: residents’ attitude about litter and community image, existing litter prevention programs, leaders of community and beautification efforts, existing waste and recycling policies, past and current community revitalization efforts and active volunteer groups. The results of the Community Assessment were used to guide the development of a local plan to change attitudes and behaviors regarding litter, recycling, beautification and related issues.

As part of the partnership, affiliates have access to a statewide network of peer organizations, an affiliate awards program, annual affiliate grants, access to tools, resources and annual trainings, inclusion in statewide marketing efforts and brand affiliation in addition to on-going technical support.

“The City of Reading Public Works department is excited to formalize our relationship with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. This relationship opens our community partners to additional grant and fundraising opportunities, educational resources, and a network of mission aligned partners across our Commonwealth. The City of Reading Public Works Department and Keep Reading Beautiful are committed to fostering stewardship and supporting our resident’s efforts to promote a clean and beautiful Reading,” said Bethany Ayers Fisher, City of Reading Sustainability Manager.

“Keep Reading Beautiful and our affiliation with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful are an integral part of our programming and mission for a cleaner, more attractive and sustainable City of Reading.” said Steve Harrity, City of Reading Solid Waste and Recycling Manager. 

“Dauphin County joining as an Affiliate of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful means becoming a vital force in preserving our communities.  Together, we will empower communities, inspire positive change, and create a cleaner, more beautiful Dauphin County for generations to come,” said Kelly Megonnel, Director, Dauphin County Department of Solid Waste and Recycling

“Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is grateful to the City of Reading Public Works and Dauphin County Solid Waste Management and Recycling Departments and the many individuals who believe in our mission and were instrumental in supporting the adoption of a local Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful affiliate.  We hope to complement the existing programs and resources to make it even easier for residents to keep their communities clean and beautiful,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

Among the affiliates’ strategic priorities are litter abatement, waste reduction, beautification and connecting with schools and volunteer groups to foster more environmental stewardship opportunities.

Ryan Bradley, Clean City Coordinator for the City of Reading Public Works, will serve as the coordinator for Keep Reading Beautiful and can be reached at 610-655-6591 or Ryan.Bradley@ReadingPA.gov. For events and programs, visit Public Works of Reading Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ReadingPublicWorks.  

Kelly Megonnel, Director of the Department of Solid Waste and Recycling, will serve as the coordinator for Keep Dauphin County Beautiful. Megonnel can be reached at 717-780-6228 or kmegonnel@dauphincounty.gov. For programs and information visit: https://www.dauphincounty.gov/government/support-services/solid-waste-management-recycling.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful currently has 26 county and city-based affiliates that offer programs in 34 service areas. To find an affiliate near you, visit keeppabeautiful.org and choose Affiliate Network. To inquire about starting an affiliate in your area, contact Kylie McCutcheon at kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful.org or 724-836-4121 x114. 

About Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s vision is a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania. Since 1990, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has worked with hundreds of thousands of volunteers across the state to pick up nearly 155 million pounds of trash from Pennsylvania's roadways, waterways, greenways, vacant lots, forestlands and other community spaces. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s core programming focuses on litter and illegal dump prevention, cleanup, community greening, and proper waste handling and sustainable practices.  Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful works with many partnering organizations on the state and grassroots level to accomplish our goal of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania.  Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is the state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. To learn more about Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, visit www.keeppabeautiful.org.