Schuylkill Keep It Pretty Honors Nominees for Statewide Awards

Schuylkill Keep It Pretty (SKIP) honored its 2024 nominees for Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful awards this week at the Schuylkill County Commissioners board meeting.

SKIP Chair Mandy Fitzpatrick says that the local organization is now an official affiliate of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

On Wednesday, Kay Schwenk, a biology teacher and Biology Club advisor at Schuylkill Haven Area High School, was honored as SKIP’s nominee for Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Volunteer of the Year

Schwenk has participated in and organized highway litter cleanups for 24 years. She’s led student tree plantings with the Pennsylvania Game Commission for 12 years.

Also noted were Schwenk’s participating in the PPL Community Roots Seedling program, her engaging students in the Schuylkill Action Network Clean Water Art contest and the Schuylkill Acts & Impacts watershed expedition, and for coordinating the PA Fish & Boat Commission’s Trout in the Classroom program and trout stocking with Schuylkill Headwaters and the Schuylkill Haven Recreation Commission.

Schwenk is one of seven volunteers across Pennsylvania to be nominated for the 2024 Volunteer of the Year award.

SKIP’s Community Partner Award nominee is Hydro.

Hydro has been an Adopt-a-Highway business for more than 20 years. Last year, employees from the Cressona company collected 57 bags of litter during Spring and Fall clean-ups along Route 61 in Schuylkill County.

SKIP also recognized Hydro for its investments in local sustainability efforts, including recycling initiatives and community sponsorships.

Hydro is one of seven community partners across Pennsylvania to receive the 2024 award.

SKIP has also revitalized its countywide Spring Clean-up event, to be held this year from April 22-May 4. Learn more about the Spring event by visiting its Facebook page.

Photo caption: (From left) Gary Hess, Schuylkill County Commissioner; Kyle Swetz, SKIP Vice Chair; Larry Padora, Commissioners Chairman; Boots Hetherington, Commissioner; Dan McGoey, Hydro; Kaye Schwenk, Volunteer of the Year; Mandy Fitzpatrick, SKIP Chair

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