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annual reporta community effort

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what’s inside

president’s message

a word from our program manager

about kdb

we make denton cleaner...

greener...

and more beautiful

our resources

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president’s messageDear Friends of KDB,

I have been involved with Keep Denton Beautiful for the past 12 years. The organization continues to evolve, improve, and change with the times. Always, our goal is to improve the livability and beauty of Denton in partnership with community members.

For years, staff, board, volunteers, and donors have asked: is KDB a volunteer organization? An environmental organization? A beautification group? Simply put, we are all three.

We engage volunteers—more than 6,800 in the last year. Those volunteers remove litter and recyclables from Denton’s roadways and drainageways through various KDB programs. During the past 10 years, this effort amounted to almost five million pounds of trash, debris and recyclables. Volunteers also support our tree programs by helping us give away approximately 3,500 trees and saplings to homeowners, renters, businesses, and school children annually. In the past 10 years, KDB has re-treed Denton to the tune of more than 35,000 trees.

These two volunteer acts alone (removing litter and planting trees) add immense value to our community both aesthetically and environmentally. Imagine if nobody was committed to doing this work, what would Denton look like? Less trash and more trees, who can argue with the obvious beauty of that!

In the time that I have been with KDB, I have seen the development of several successful new programs and events… and others have been expanded to encompass the needs of a growing community.

We now have two WaterSmart gardens in Denton that KDB volunteers care for. Both gardens are still in their infancy, but both are examples of how residents and businesses can replace non-native, water-guzzling landscapes with attractive native and Texas adapted landscapes that survive far better in the extremes of Texas weather.

Another important addition to the programs at KDB is the Environmental Education Grants Program. This has been an immensely successful program and since its inception in 2001, 16 public and private Denton area schools have received funding for classroom and school projects in environmental education. This program is fundamentally important as KDB supports teachers and schools in carrying our message of cultivating a clean, sustainable, and beautiful environment to the future generation of earth’s caretakers.

Thank you for your continued support in making and keeping Denton beautiful!

Lancine Bentley,President, KDB Board of Directors

a word from our program managerFriends and Family of KDB,

The past year has truly been monumental for Keep Denton Beautiful. At the beginning of 2010, we held our annual Board Retreat and created a new Strategic Plan. In that new plan, we’re focusing on six key areas:

1) Building collaborations with businesses and others in our community. This past year, we chose to do that by focusing our efforts on the Fry Street area.

2) Building our relationships with volunteers, and reaching out to Denton for new volunteers. Many of you have experienced this outreach effort directly as we have held quarterly social mixers to meet new people. So far, we’ve held a business mixer, a community mixer, and most recently, a student mixer.

3) Becoming a clearinghouse of information for members of the community. We’re working to rebuild our website so that you can visit us online to learn about any activity in our community that is related to our mission.

4) Equipping our board members to be effective advocates for KDB. Our board consists of volunteers who represent the community. They provide the direction we need to serve you!

5) Broadening our donor base. At KDB, every person who lives, works, and plays in Denton is our client. That’s more than 100,000 people! We rely on various funding sources to help us meet your needs. This past year we launched a new membership campaign and created easy ways for donors to contribute online.

6) Increasing our visibility in the community. We have completely re-invented ourselves this past year. We have a new logo and branding, hundreds of new friends, and this annual report is the first one in KDB history – I hope you enjoy reading about our accomplishments.

As I look forward to the next year, I am most excited about seeing several long-held KDB initiatives come to fruition. We’re finally addressing the Fry Street area holistically, starting with cutting-edge, solar-powered trash compactors and recycling kiosks. We’re working on a plan for creating a Neighborhood Grants program, so we can provide funding to neighbor-hood groups who want to start a community garden, install landscaping, or plant trees. And we’re launching a regional initiative, called Tree North Texas, where 75 North Texas cities have pledged to plant three to six million trees in the next 10 years. This will be the largest tree planting initiative in the country!

All of you, as friends and family of Keep Denton Beautiful, are playing an integral role as we forge ahead and continue to make Denton a great place to live. Thank you for your ongoing support of our mission, and I look forward to working with each of you in the coming year. Sincerely Yours,

Aimee BissettProgram Manager

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Together...we make Denton cleaner, greener and more beautiful.

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our missionTo inspire individuals to take greater responsibility for creating a clean and beautiful city through litter prevention, reduction of waste, and community beautification.

our visionTo be a catalyst for positive change by providing opportunities, resources, education, and support to residents and businesses to enhance the community.

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kdb staffAimee Bissett

Program Manager

Jannibah ColemanVolunteer & Program

Coordinator

Mendie Schmidt*Event & Outreach

Coordinator

kdb boardLauren Barker*

At Large

Katherine BarnettAt Large

Lancine BentleyPresident

Scott Bynum*At Large

Alethia CarmansAt Large

Christa CroweVice President

Lisa ElserAt Large

Jean GreenlawAt Large

Jan HillmanAt Large

Richard HuckabyAt Large

Lindsay Satterwhite-PrestonSecretary

Alicia TaylorVice President

Phillip VivarAt Large* indicates former staff/board member

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clea

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we make Denton cleaner...Research tells us that “litter begets litter.” In other words, people are more likely to litter where there’s already a mess.That is why litter prevention is one of our top priorities. We made great strides this year!

63 individuals, families, organizations, and businesses participate in our Adopt-a-Spot program.

Overall, Great American Cleanup participants brought in a staggering amount of trash and recycling-

117.38 tons!

Our Net Bag Project is providing an innovative solution to debris and pollution in Denton waterways. Two of the seven locations have been installed to date to collect floatables like plastic bottles and

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Survey of Litter in the CityThe map below shows the city split into six areas, and how those areas fared in a recent surveyof litter. Keep Denton Beautiful sent crews out to survey litter levels, and then submitted a reportto the city. In the ratings below, 1 equals "no litter," while 4 represents "extremely littered."

Area 1 -- 1.5Area 2 -- 1.23Area 3 -- 1.67Area 4 -- 1.08Area 5 -- 1.72Area 6 -- 1.38

Source: Keep Denton Beautiful

This map is a graphic representation prepared by the City of DentonGIS System and is intended for use only as a reference. Data depicted here is not guaranteed for accuracy and may be subject to revision at any time without notification. A Registered Surveyor for the State of Texas was not consulted. For Survey level accuracy, supervision and certification of the produced data by a Registered Professional Land Surveyor for the State of Texas would have to be performed.

±0 4,5002,250 Feet1" = 4500'

community appearance index

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ener

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we make Denton greener...The past year has brought about many changes! Check out some of the highlights including our move to the City of Denton Solid Waste and Recyling Department!

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defunk fry streetKDB has received a $10,000 cash grant from Keep America Beauti-ful, Inc.(KAB) as part of an effort sponsored by Waste Management to encourage local solutions to community issues. Our winning proposal is the De-Funk Fry Street project, a collaborative effort pulling together Denton stakeholders from many backgrounds.

Why Fry Street?Fry Street is a beloved area, displaying much of the cultural and social diversity that makes Denton unique. It’s sad to see an area that is so significant to Denton’s history and identity be so plagued by litter and vandalism. We understand that it will take all of that diversity- of resources and interests- to revitalize and enhance that neighborhood.

What’s the plan?The grant has been used to purchase permanent Big Belly trash/recycling receptacles. Thanks to a partnership with City of Denton Solid Waste and Recycling, even more Big Belly receptacles were purchased and will be installed from Fry Street to the A-train station along Hickory Street.

What’s next?We plan to continue our efforts to rejuvenate the Fry Street area. In the near future, KDB will provide anti-litter education and outreach.

we’ve moved!

KDB became a part of the Solid Waste and Recycling Department on Oct. 1, 2010! We have

remained in our current location at 1117 Riney Road, and operations have continued uninterrupted. This is a great chance for us to build new and develop existing

partnerships with Solid Waste!

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more beautiful. . .we make Denton more

beautiful...What is a city without beauty? Our goal is that Denton residents will never know the answer to that question. That’s why so many of our programs and events are geared towards making Denton not just a cleaner place, but also a more beautiful place to play, work, and live!

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more beautiful. . .green and growing

• Over the past year, more than 200 volunteers have worked at the Project Post Oak, Denia and KDB gardens. KDB helpers dedicate one morning each month to weeding, mulching, and planting our native gardens!

• KDB’s latest Governer’s Community Achievement Award earned us $155,000 in 2008. That project, landscaping the new medians on South Loop 288, is finally underway and will be completed successfully in the fall.

• Speaking of planting, KDB distributed more than 3,000 free trees between the annual Tree Giveaway event and the Children’s Arbor Day program.

• To offset the environmental impact of Super Bowl XLV, the National Football League worked in partnership with 12 Dallas/Fort Worth area cities to plant 45 trees in each community. KDB was instrumental in coordinating the Super Grow event which included tree planting and other fun activities at Lake Forest Park!

• The 18th annual Redbud Festival showed growth as well. This event was bigger and better than ever offering a variety of free new workshops and seminars!

mcmath gardeningThis was the 10th anniversary of KDB’s Environmental Education Grant program (EEGP). Over time, we have awarded several schools up to $500 annually and formed many great partnerships. Our mission is to inspire individuals to take greater responsibility for creating a clean and beautiful city through litter prevention, reduction of waste, and community beautification. For their part, the teachers, counselors, principals and parents who apply to the EEGP do so primarily to augment existing curriculum. One school, in particular, is a shining example of those combined missions at work.

The McMath Middle School Gardening program, now known as the Gratitude/Gardening/Giving Group, has designed, built, and maintained six large flower beds, vegetable gardens, a compost bin, a rainwater harvesting system, and a cold frame on the grounds of the school. The harvested produce is donated to local food banks and pantries.

The Gratitude/Gardening/Giving Group is endorsed and embraced by the entire community of more than 800 students and 100 faculty and staff. Teachers par-ticipate by providing their unique talents and expertise. Students are encouraged to participate in ways that appeal to their interests and skills. Of the 250 members, some have worked with the technology instructor to design and build various garden features including the compost bin and trellises. Others enjoy arranging the floral and vegetable baskets for the “Gratitude” piece of the program. All of the students spend some time in the gar-dens weeding, mulching, planting, and taste-testing!

KDB applauds our outstanding educational

partners!Blanton ElementaryBorman Elementary

Denton Calvary AcademyDenton High School

DISD Advanced Technology ComplexEP Rayzor ElementaryEvers Park ElementaryGinnings ElementaryGuyer High SchoolHodge Elementary

Houston ElementaryImmaculate Conception Catholic School

L.A. Nelson ElementaryLee Elementary

McMath Middle SchoolMcNair ElementaryNavo Middle School

Newton Rayzor ElementaryPaloma Creek ElementaryPecan Creek Elementary

Riviera ElementaryRyan High School

Selwyn SchoolTexas Woman’s UniversityUniversity of North Texas

W.S. Ryan ElementaryWilson Elementary

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resources

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financial. . . 2011 adopted operating budget

IncomeEvent & Program Sponsors $26,500.00 Membership Dues $4,500.00 Donations $7,120.00 Grant & Foundation Income $22,782.00 Existing Funds $20,075.00 Special Event Income $7,500.00 Interest Earned $100.00 TOTAL INCOME $88,577.00

ExpensesManagement Expenses $9,492.30 Litter Prevention/Reduction Programs $20,800.00 Beautification Programs $29,682.00 Waste Reduction Programs $10,575.00 Education Grants $2,500.00 Volunteer Management/Supplies $4,100.00 Community Outreach $3,950.00 Misc. Expenses $600.00 TOTAL EXPENSES $81,699.30

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financial. . . City

Contribution$309,423

Community Contribution

$243,557

In-kindContribution

$36,900

Community Benefit

$912,064

Cost reduction$160,000

Volunteer Contribution

$471,607

cost/benefit analysis

return on investment- 295%

community investmentEvery year, we perform a Cost Benefit Analysis and look at the dollars that the community as a whole and the City government invests into the organization and calculate the RETURN ON INVESTMENT.

In fiscal year 2010-2011 the City will invest $309,423. This covers three staff members, office space, technology, some office supplies, and training.

The community (via the nonprofit board of directors) through donations, memberships, sponsorships, and grants will invest $243,557 (actual dollars). This amount plus grant funding comprises our annual operating budget.

Our programming reduced City government costs by $160,000. Our volunteers have been able to fill the gap of a City-funded litter crew – picking up more than half a million pounds of trash and debris annually from Denton streets.

The community contributed another $36,900 worth of in-kind services and support to Keep Denton Beautiful last year as well. One example of this is the $20,000 in donated advertising from the Denton Record-Chronicle each year.

Lastly, we calculate the dollar value of volunteer time. Last year, our volunteers donated $471,607 in their time to keeping Denton beautiful.

Because of the partnership with the City and the community, the City’s investment of $309,423 is tripled—and the total community benefit amounts to $912,064. For each dollar that the City invests, the community receives $2.95 in services.

and otherwise.

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and otherwise.

special thanks to...You- the members of our KDB community! Denton residents are our greatest resource. You support our mission through volunteerism, personal gifts, and advocacy!

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recognizing excellenceEach year, Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) recognizes the efforts of individuals and organizations that promote beautification, waste reduction, and litter prevention through environmental education and community activism. As an affiliate of KTB, Keep Denton Beautiful was called to nominate individuals who excel in these areas. Congratulations to Mary Arndt, academic counselor at McMath Middle School, and Lindsay Satterwhite-Preston, former Recycling and Environmental Education Coordinator for the City of Denton, for being awarded KTB’s Sadie Ray Graff Education Awards!

Mary Arndt founded the McMath Gardening program, now known as the Gratitude/Gardening/Giving Group. Participating students have designed, built, and maintained six large flower beds, vegetable gardens, a compost bin, and a rainwater harvesting system on the grounds of the school.

Lindsay Satterwhite-Preston has been the Recycling Education Coordinator in the Solid Waste Department for the past three years, and serves on the Board of Directors of Keep Denton Beautiful. In her position with the City, she built the Sustainable Schools Program into a nationally recognized environmental education model. She also created and delivered TEKS-compliant educational modules for elementary and middle schools in the Denton ISD.

KDB salutes both ladies for their contributions to environmental education and to Keep Denton Beautiful!

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2010 kdb volunteer award winners

Alexandra Silva Littie Grooms Volunteer of the Year

Christa Crowe Vicki McCombs Urban Forestry Award

Judy Smith Lifetime Distinction Award

Safety-KleenAdopt-a-Spot of the Year

Denton Municipal ElectricOutstanding City Partner

Lisa ElserOutstanding Board Member

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A Man and A Woman Floral DesignAngel Scent Massage Therapy, Colleen Mitchell

Angie StephensBest Buy

Briscoe Alignment & TireCafé du Luxe

City of Denton Parks and Recreation DepartmentCity of Denton Solid Waste and Recycling Department

Denton Municipal ElectricHome Depot

Huffines SubaruOutback Steakhouse

Papa John’s PizzaRiprock’s

Rooster’s Roadhouse Sleepin-Dogs.com Website Designs

TetrapakThe Denton Record-Chronicle

The Wash FactoryThe Wildwood InnWeinberger’s Deli

sponsors

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membersVictoria Angulo-SanchezElizabeth & Philip BakerLauren & Andrew BarkerLancine BentleyMaia & Bill BischofAimee & Clint BissettJason BodorSheila C. BowlesDale BranumVirgil BrownGeorgianne BurlageGay Lynn BynumScott BynumAlma ClarkBarney CosimoChrista CroweJan & Ken DicksonLisa ElserMichael FragaAlice GoreBetty GoreJean GreenlawRoger GreenleeCara GuziakBrad HairrellAmy HartMargaret Welch HighJan Hillman, Ed. D.Richard HuckabyLinda KingPeg & Tom LaPointJennifer LanePatricia & Donald Langa

Rosie Le ClairJulio LenceErnestina LopezAlyson & Victor LozadaShelly & David McNabbMarie MilleagePatricia MillerPhyllis MintonKay MyersTami NortonBarbara & Phil PhilipsBenjamin PoushLindsay & Matt PrestonJennifer ReyesJulie ScharnbergDavid SmithJames G. SmithMatthew SpiveyKathryn StachitusKiersty & William StewartAlicia TaylorDenise TomorDr. J. Don VannKatherine Barnett & Rusty WhiteSamantha Wimmer

Cool BeansGreenhouse RestaurantLucky Lou’sMichael Lindley HairPainted Flower FarmRiprock’s Rose CostumesWood, Thacker and Weatherly, P.C.

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Cover design: Brian DaskamEditor: Jannibah ColemanContributors: Lancine Bentley, Aimee Bissett, Samantha Boyd, Jannibah Coleman, Lisa Elser, Kara Roberson, Lindsay Satterwhite-Preston, Mendie SchmidtPhotography: Brian DaskamPhotography (page 22): Monica Maxwell For more information, contact:

KEEP DENTON BEAUTIFUL1117 Riney RoadDenton, TX 76207(940) 349-8737www.kdb.org

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Special thanks to our partner

www.cityofdenton.com