Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Affiliate Volunteers of the Year!
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful believes that by engaging volunteers, we extend the reach of our educational efforts and multiply the impact of our actions.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s “Affiliate Volunteers of the Year Program” is a recognition program for KPB and local KAB Affiliates. Through this statewide program, each affiliate can honor an outstanding volunteer.
The application is now closed for nominations, but check back later in the fall for the next year.
This award is only for KPB and local KAB affiliates in good standing.
For questions, please contact Kylie McCutcheon at kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful.org or 724-836-4121 ext. 114.
Katherine Crawford, nominated by Allegheny CleanWays
Katherine has been participating in Land and Water clean-ups with Allegheny CleanWays (ACW) since the Spring of 2023. She started volunteering with ACW as a way to be outside with other people after she took a work-from-home job. Katherine stated, "I enjoy guessing what a piece of trash used to be or how old it is; it’s mini-anthropology sessions. It’s rewarding to see areas return to nature after we’ve removed major debris!" Katherine has been a great asset to ACW’s volunteer crew with her willingness to dive right into a cleanup no matter how steep the hillside or how terrible the weather might be.
Patricia Jacobina, nominated by Westmoreland Cleanways
During the spring of 2024, a pollinator garden was planted at Westmoreland Cleanways. Patti Jacobina, a volunteer, was an integral component in this process. As a local Penn State Master Gardener and Phipps certified Sustainable Landcare Advocate, Patti provided invaluable expertise for the project. She designed the garden’s layout, had the soil tested, then researched where to find the most appropriate native plants to include based on the results. Finally, she organized volunteers needed to transplant the hundreds of plants into the garden. Since the initial planting, Patti continues to care for the garden by weeding, offering advice on deer, and making future plans for adding new plants. Patti devoted more than 50 hours to this project and plans to continue volunteering during future growing seasons. Her hands-on work in planting, organizing, and maintaining the garden ensures its success in helping to beautify the grounds of the recycling center and in supporting local pollinators!
John Morrow, nominated by Keep Northeastern PA Beautiful
John is an indispensable asset to community conservation efforts in Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA). He is a dedicated member of Keep NEPA Beautiful’s advisory committee and John plays a pivotal role in youth outreach that ensures that the next generation understands the importance of sustainability and conservation. Beyond his formal responsibilities, John has gone above and beyond to make cleanups a way of life. Notable examples of his dedication include organizing the Duryea Swamps cleanup, where his efforts addressed critical environmental challenges in a sensitive wetland area, and leading tree-plantings at the historic Knox Mine Disaster site, contributing to both ecological restoration and community remembrance. John’s commitment to conservation is unwavering, reflecting his passion for preserving the natural beauty and heritage of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Dave Rice, nominated by Keep Fayette County Green
"Dave Rice and his wife have lived in Wharton Township since July 2020. He began volunteering at the township’s recycling day and also volunteers for our Annual Hard-to-Recycle event. Dave is a faithful, dependable volunteer and rarely misses a recycling day. He has been an asset to the township," said Sheila Shea, Recycling Coordinator, Fayette County Recycling Convenience Center and Keep Fayette County Green Coordinator.
"Donating 4 hours each month to help our community is a small price to pay to help keep Wharton Township environmentally clean and beautiful for years to come," Rice said. Dave and his wife enjoy spending time in the outdoors with their dogs and are happy to call the Laurel Highlands area home.
Kaye Schwenk, nominated by Schuylkill Keep It Pretty (SKIP)
As the biology teacher and Biology Club advisor at Schuylkill Haven Area High School (SHAHS), Kaye Schwenk has been involved with Schuylkill Keep It Pretty (SKIP)’s conservation efforts in Schuylkill County, both personally and through her classroom, for more than two decades. Her long list includes 24 years of highway litter cleanups, 12 years of student tree plantings with the PA Game Commission, the PPL Community Roots Seedling program, engaging students for the Schuylkill Action Network Clean Water Art Contest, Schuylkill Acts and Impacts during a week-long watershed student engagement expedition, PA Fish & Boat Commission’s Trout in the Classroom program, and last but not least involving students in trout stocking with the Schuylkill Headwaters and the Schuylkill Haven Recreation Commission! "Kaye would be the perfect person for this honor. She has been doing cleanups for decades in our county and she truly has devoted her life to helping the waterways and environments of Schuylkill County," said Ty Warman, SHAHS Principal.
Dave Shirey, nominated by Keep Chester County Beautiful
For the past eight years Dave has organized a litter cleanup day at 80 locations in southern Chester County, and each year the event grows. Dave organizes over 100 volunteers, assigning groups to specific areas, detailing what help is needed and how to accomplish it. He also engages the community, specifically athletes and coaches at Avon Grove High School who now participate in the clean-ups. According to previous Volunteer of the Year awardee, Kelly McDowell, "He is a wonderful person who always stops what he is doing to come pick me up if I walk too far during a cleanup. He has never given up hope that individuals will step up to maintain the beauty of Chester County."
Darby Wiekrykas, nominated by Keep Reading Beautiful
Darby is a mentor, a connector and a cheerleader for Reading’s community organizations. For many years she has served as the volunteer coordinator for United Way of Berks County, she has also mentored the next generation of volunteer coordinators and non-profits serving our community in a variety of ways. Darby's support was instrumental in the establishment of Keep Reading Beautiful, her behind the scenes support has increased participation and longevity of events like Keep Reading Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, and September 11 Day of Giving.
Fawn Contreras, nominated by Keep Northeastern PA Beautiful
Fawn is the Head of Youth Services at Valley Community Library where she uses her role to address beautification needs in her community. She regularly partners with Keep NEPA Beautiful to hold cleanups in Lackawanna County and often has 5-10 volunteers from the library. Fawn also partners with the local school to educate students about community involvement and beautification. Annually, she conducts group cleanups to celebrate Earth Day, National Cleanup Day, and even her Birthday and Mother’s Day!
Fawn has also participated beyond cleanups with Keep NEPA Beautiful. She tables at the Lackawanna County Earth Day event and also spearheaded the Plastic Bag Recycling event recently held at the Jessup 9-1-1 Center which was sponsored by Keep Northeastern PA Beautiful through a grant from Keep PA Beautiful.
News stories demonstrating her Partnership:
Sante DeMichiel, nominated by Keep Perry County Beautiful
Sante, a resident of the Millerstown Borough, has been an active volunteer for the Perry County Conservation District since 2017. He has been a part of their 2017 Tire War, 2019 E-Cycling, 2021 Juniata River Cleanup, 2022 Shermans Creek Cleanup, 2022 Tire War, and the 2023 Tire War.
Sante made an especially importantimpact out at the 2023 Tire War event. Sante helped take charge immediately hauling tires and was a great leader throughout the entire event. At the Conservation District, he is known as one of their favorite volunteers and is always willing to help whether it is assisting us at recycling events or scavenging Shermans Creek for unwanted trash. Sante is kind, proactive, and unquestionably deserving of this award.
Kathy Frederick, nominated by Keep Allentown Beautiful
Kathy is a Litter Legend in the Lehigh Valley area. She does weekly cleanups throughout the entire year, usually solo, but on occasion with other volunteers. In April, she hosted her own Earth Day cleanup, Kathy and her group of volunteers fervently collected over 300 bags of trash and almost 30 tires! She also participated in Allentown's first ever competition-style litter event held this summer. She and her group of volunteers out-picked four other teams by collecting the most trash in the Community and the Arts Cleanup! In 2023 alone, she has removed over 1,000 bags of litter from the streets of Allentown, and that’s not including her cleanups in Bethlehem, Whitehall, and other Lehigh Valley areas. Kathy is incredibly passionate about keeping PA beautiful.
Robert Giron, nominated by Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling
Bob Giron is a dedicated volunteer at Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling. For more than two years, he has volunteered his time to help at the recycling center during their drop-off hours and has racked up hundreds of volunteer hours. Rain or shine, Bob helps unload customers’ vehicles of the recyclable items they bring to the facility as well as processing the cardboard and paper items that customers drop off. He always wears a smile and greets the customer with kind words and maybe some quick wit! When Westmoreland Cleanways started accepting plastic containers for recycling, Bob was the first volunteer to help direct their customers on what is and isn't accepted as they would drop off their plastic containers.
Stacy Marinos, nominated by Allegheny CleanWays
Stacy has been volunteering with Allegheny CleanWays (ACW) on land-based cleanups and water-based cleanups since 2022. Stacy volunteered a total of 54 times in the past two years and 33 times in 2023, always showing up no matter how challenging or how unpleasant the cleanup site might be. Since Stacy has volunteered with ACW so often, she is a huge asset on cleanup sites as she needs little to no instruction and helps them accomplish more than they would with just two crew members. Stacy not only volunteers with ACW but she devotes time to Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy helping to maintain flower gardens around the city of Pittsburgh. Stacy spends the rest of her free time traveling with friends. This year she went to Vermont and Alberta Canada.
Kelly McDowell, nominated by Keep Chester County Beautiful
Kelly began picking up litter in 2013, along a long stretch of Route 1 in southern Chester County. She coordinates the Great American Cleanup of PA - Chester County which hosts ongoing litter cleanups every spring on ALL weekends of the Pick Up PA from March 1-May 31. During her first pick-up, she collected over 450 bags of trash, and to date has collected over 11,100 bags of litter and 430 tires. Her cleanup season, which she has held annually since 2017, typically draws between 50-100 volunteers. Kelly cares deeply about the environment, and a litter-free Chester County. She also, whether she knows it or not, mentored our 2022 Volunteer of the Year, Beth Intoccia with the Litter Lifters of West Vincent, who raves about the work Kelly does constantly!
Jim Means, nominated by Keep Fayette County Green
Jim has a dedication and passion for recycling. Monthly, Jim holds a recycling collection and a fall hard- to- recycle event for Wharton and surrounding townships, providing residents an opportunity to recycle. Jim has also spoken at and later launched a recycling program at the Mountain Area Senior Center.
Jim’s leadership style fosters a collaborative and supportive environment, encouraging others to go above and beyond. His dedication and enthusiasm are contagious, and it is not uncommon to see others rally behind his recycling initiatives.
Randy Wilharm, nominated by Keep Royal Gardens Beautiful
Randy Wilharm is Keep Royal Gardens Beautiful newest project manager and community volunteer. Upon his arrival in July 2023, he was eager to participate in maintaining the green spaces of the community. He volunteered to manage their largest event, Villanova Day of Service, in which he supported over a hundred volunteers removing the overgrowth of vegetation throughout their flower beds. Randy and his wife, Rebecca, closed out our season in joining us in our "Fall-Love Your Park Event" as they honored Veteran’s Day by volunteering in their memorial garden.
Keep Royal Garden Beautiful is grateful and thankful for Randy’s contributions and willingness to be the Change that he wanted to see!
2022 Awardees
Jan Nehilla, nominated by Allegheny CleanWays
Jan was nominated by Allegheny CleanWays (ACW) for her work helping to clean up illegal dumpsites. She began volunteering in February 2022 and has over 24 events under her belt already! "Jan is a hard worker and up for any challenges ACW faces on dumpsite cleanups. She never complains and always has a good attitude. Jan is truly dedicated to making Allegheny County a cleaner, safer place to live," said Erica Erica Pasquali, Allegheny CleanWays Land-Based Program Coordinator.
Fred Wertz, nominated by Keep Perry County Beautiful
Fred started volunteering with Keep Perry County Beautiful in 2016, during their annual Juniata River Cleanup. Since then, Fred has assisted with every waterway cleanup hosted by the affiliate and helped make the first official Earth Day Celebration in Perry County a success. He has also recruited friends to be part of affiliate activities. Fred also volunteers with numerous other community organizations and special events. You will often find him in his kayak making a difference!
Jenna Dillion, nominated by PA CleanWays of Venango County
This past year, Jenna has consistently volunteered at every special collection and recycling event at the Venango County's new Recycling Center. She has also been integral in recruiting additional volunteers during 2022. "Jenna not only cares deeply about recycling and the environment, but also about safety. She helps ensure that participants and volunteers have a safe and enjoyable time," said Erik Johnson, PA CleanWays of Venango County Coordinator and Recycling Coordinator & Facility Manager of Venango County Regional Planning Commission.
Tshoumi Quei Robinson II, nominated by Keep Royal Gardens Beautiful
Tshoumi joined as a member of Keep Royal Gardens Beautiful at the height of the pandemic when he contacted the affiliate in need of a volunteer project for his High School community service requirement. Once he saw the overgrowth of vegetation and the amount of work to be done, he recruited his entire family to volunteer. Together, they restored all the flower beds back to their natural beauty and pruned and mulched the trees. In addition, Tshoumi and his father cleaned up trash, tires and other debris along the perimeter of Royal Gardens. "I'm proud to honor Tshoumi with the 2022 Volunteer of the Year award, for his excellence, dedication and honorable contributions to the green spaces of our community," said Nicole Chandler, Keep Royal Gardens Beautiful Coordinator.
Beth Intoccia, nominated by Keep Chester County Beautiful
Beth founded the Litter Lifters of West Vincent, which has held many events since mid-2020 and removed well over 1,000 bags of litter from Chester County roadways and streams. "In addition to launching this group, she passionately advocated for a Keep PA Beautiful affiliate for Chester County. Beth's passion for improving the environment and educating others, also includes her mentoring others interested in making a difference in and around their communities in Chester County and beyond. Without Beth's drive, determination, and guidance, the Keep Chester County Beautiful affiliate would not exist today. We are grateful for Beth's love of nature and making communities stronger, cleaner, and better places to live," said Carrie Conwell, Keep Chester County Beautiful Coordinator and Senior Environmental Planner of Chester County.
2021 Awardees
Larissa Gula, nominated by Allegheny CleanWays
Larissa was nominated by Allegheny CleanWays for her positive attitude, persistence and spirit of teamwork and community. Larissa has been a volunteer with Allegheny CleanWays since June of 2019 and has participated in 30 dumpsite cleanups with the DumpBusters program and 13 riverfront cleanups with the Tireless program. Additionally, she's taken part in several large group volunteer events to clean up litter from riverbanks and sidewalks of public rights-of-way.
Mike Kester, nominated by Keep Huntingdon County Beautiful
Mike was nominated by Keep Huntingdon County Beautiful for his sustained commitment to the affiliates recycling efforts. Mike has volunteered with each Tire Collection Challenge since 2017, bringing a positive, energetic attitude and relentless work ethic. Since Mike joined the Keep Huntingdon County Beautiful team, more than 7,500 tires have been successfully collected and recycled.
Jamil Rivera, nominated by PA CleanWays of Mifflin County
Jamil was nominated by PA CleanWays of Mifflin County for his continuous efforts to make the world a better place, including litter pickups and tire recycling. Jamil has been a valued volunteer of the affiliate for several years and enjoys finding rogue tires and recycling them. He enjoys the outdoors and takes pride in keeping it leaving it better than he found it.
Roger Austin, nominated by Keep Perry County Beautiful
Roger was nominated by Keep Perry County Beautiful for his commitment, foresight and passion for the local community. Roger began volunteering with PA CleanWays in 1989 by lending a hand with a roadside illegal dump clean-up through the Adopt A Highway initiative and then the affiliate since its inception in 2009. He further propagates stewardship efforts by inviting Keep Perry County Beautiful into his classroom to give presentations and has supported the student sports teams as they complete their road-side litter clean-ups as part of the academic community service program.
Nancy Thorne, nominated by Westmoreland CleanWays & Recycling
Nancy was nominated by Westmoreland CleanWays & Recycling for her expertise, passion, energy, and excitement. Nancy removed a colony of bees from one of CleanWays’ buildings to an apiary she built on the Westmoreland CleanWays & Recycling grounds. Nancy continues to provide supervision and maintenance of the bees and their hives and plans to assist the affiliate in developing bee related educational programs.
2020 Awardees
Nancy Thorne, nominated by Allegheny CleanWays
Gary has been involved with Allegheny CleanWays since 2007, working primarily with The Tireless Project, a riverfront cleanup program that launched a two-week Monongahela River cleanup in 2020. With Smith’s help the group successfully cleaned up more than 11,500 pounds of trash and 175 tires. Smith has also participated in riverfront cleanups, canoe and kayak cleanups, assisted with maintenance of the organization’s boat fleet, served on a board committee and assisted with dismantling and removing an abandoned boat from the riverbank. When asked why he volunteers with Allegheny Cleanways, Gary said, "I love working with Allegheny CleanWays because of their ‘if not now, then when; if not us, then who’ approach to the work that they do!"
"Gary’s ability to lead and learn while working with us is invaluable. His presence at cleanups inspires others to step up and be more involved with the work that we do," said Hannah Hohman, Water-based Cleanup and Education Program Coordinator.
Charles Dean Hench, nominated by Keep Perry County Beautiful
Charles joined the Juniata River Cleanup Crew in 2017 and has participated in numerous affiliate activities since, including the CHEMSweep collection for the safe disposal of unwanted or unusable pesticides that was held for Perry County agricultural businesses and pesticide applicators in December 2020. In addition to assisting the affiliate, Hench’s other conservation efforts include being an active beekeeper and providing protection for the little brown bat by working with the local scout group to install bat boxes on his property. Charles says of his experience, "I enjoy the fellowship with other volunteers having a similar goal to improve our environment."
"Charles is always eager to share his wisdom and knowledge about the environment and wildlife with fellow volunteers. 2020 brought a wide variety of challenges that affected our community. But I can honestly say that working side by side with Charles and our dedicated group of volunteers made our continued efforts to improve our corner of the world that much easier," said Kristie Smith, Keep Perry County Beautiful Coordinator.
