Every time a Dentonite chooses to give their time to our community by volunteering with Keep Denton Beautiful (KDB), that action creates positive change. Picking up litter, weeding a garden, distributing free trees, each task on its own seems small, but each one is part of something bigger – a mission to create a clean & beautiful Denton; a vision for a vibrant city. Volunteers are integral to our work, and we cannot say thank you enough. With that in mind, we’re going to do our very best to say just how much we appreciate YOU – our KDB family. We’d also like to recognize this year’s award recipients. Congratulations to KDB’s 2019-20 Volunteer and Community Partners of the Year!
Lifetime Distinction
Christa Crowe – Board President
Christa Crowe has been a KDB Board Member for over 10 years. In that time, Christa has truly made her mark on Denton through volunteering at countless KDB events and programs, engaging with the community on behalf of KDB, and providing calm, kind leadership on the board of directors. Christa has served as the Vice President and is presently the Board President. Along with vast historical knowledge of KDB’s initiatives and projects, Christa is very familiar with Texas native trees and plants and readily shares her know-how with volunteers and Denton residents. Christa is an exemplary example of creating positive change, and we are overjoyed to honor her with the Lifetime Distinction Award.
Vicki McCombs Urban Forestry Award
Brand Richter
The Urban Forestry Award is named for Vicki McCombs, a longtime KDB volunteer who was instrumental in beginning the Community Tree Giveaway program 20 years ago. She was a staunch advocate for all of KDB’s urban forestry program efforts.
Brand, like Vicki, is an advocate for Denton’s urban canopy. This past year, Brand, along with Jaime Baxter-Slye and Clay Thurmond, launched the Denton Trees iNaturalist project “to inform on tree species diversity, distribution and candidates for local designations of tree conservation status.” Brand educates residents and engages interested residents through thought provoking articles on Denton Trees, a local Facebook group with nearly 1,000 members. We’d like to think Brand’s interest in urban forestry was nurtured as a KDB volunteer.
Littie Grooms Volunteer of the Year Award
Phyllis Minton
This year, Phyllis Minton, a longtime Yard of the Month Judge Volunteer offered to help judge not one, but two districts! Phyllis an active member of the Denton County Master Gardeners Association and Elm Fork Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists brings her wealth of knowledge to the Yard of the Month program. She also helped with the 2019 Texas Arbor Day planting at the North Lakes Dog Park and helps KDB staff rehome planters from residents who want to ensure the plastic containers are reused.
Outstanding Service
Women of Gold – UNT
The Women of Gold at UNT made the commitment to be Adopt-A-Spot volunteers in 2018. They remain dedicated to keeping Denton clean and have collected over 700 pounds of litter from our community. Additionally, the organization has assisted at garden workdays and Keep Denton Beautiful events. These young women are always ready to help and have hearts of service.
Outstanding Adopt-A-Spot
Denton Breakfast Kiwanis
The Denton Breakfast Kiwanis maintain an Adopt-A-Spot on Wind River Road. The organization brings together high school Key Clubs as well as university level Circle K clubs to participate at their Spot too! Always ready to keep Denton clean and prompt with reporting, the Breakfast Kiwanis are reliable, passionate volunteers we are fortunate to have helping to keep Denton clean.
Outstanding Board Member
Emily Bilcik – Vice President
Emily has taken on leadership roles within KDB seamlessly. In the past year, she served as the Special Projects Committee Chair for the inaugural KDB + YOU Film Contest and leads as KDB’s Vice President. Emily is always ready to help with board-related administrative tasks as well as at KDB community events and volunteer workdays.
Outstanding Board Member
Alejandro Moreno – Treasurer
With expertise ranging from film to finance, Alejandro is a tremendous asset to the board. When not managing the KDB, Inc. budget and finances, one can find Alejandro volunteering at a KDB event. He also served on the Special Projects Committee. Alejandro can often be found behind the scenes, but his hard work and dedication ensure smooth operations for KDB.
Outstanding Community Partner
Denton Main Street Association
Through the Meetup Cleanup program, the Denton Main Street Association has helped keep Downtown Denton clean. The association has provided valuable feedback on KDB programs that effect business owners on the Historic Courthouse Square and Fry Street Area such as the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program. The DMSA has welcomed KDB at mixers to help us share our mission and gain valuable support from Denton’s business community.
Outstanding Community Partner
Pan Ector Industries
For years, Pan Ector Industries has done an exceptional job printing KDB’s event t-shirts and merchandise and providing high quality wares to our volunteers and supporters. The local company also attends KDB events like the Denton Redbud Festival showing their skill and Denton-centric designs while live printing for attendees. Community-oriented and talented, Pan Ector has been a huge help in promoting the KDB brand with style.
Outstanding City Partner
Denton Parks & Rec Department
Over the past year, Denton Parks & Rec has been instrumental in the continued success of KDB’s beautification, litter cleanup, and tree planting initiatives in Denton. Staff and board members were welcomed wholeheartedly into the department last October, and the partnership has proven to be an excellent fit.
