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Keep Loup Basin Beautiful Earns Keep America Beautiful President’s Circle Award Recognition

Keep America Beautiful

Local Organization Recognized for Exemplary Performance, Standard of Excellence

Burwell, Nebraska  March 2, 2020 – Keep America Beautiful®, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, presented Keep Loup Basin Beautiful with its 2019 President’s Circle Award recognition at the Keep America Beautiful 2020 National Conference, which recently took place in Memphis, Tennessee. The President’s Circle Award recognizes exemplary performance by certified affiliates of Keep America Beautiful in creating clean, green, and beautiful communities.

In qualifying for the President’s Circle Award, Keep Loup Basin Beautiful has met standards of merit of Keep America Beautiful by conducting Continue reading →

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Bedtime Bags And Kits For Kids

The idea of ‘Bedtime Bags’ and ‘Kits for Kids’ came about through a conversation with a concerned gentleman who worked with foster children placements. He expressed his concern for these kids, who many times were placed in a foster home with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing, or the few possessions they did have were packed in a trash bag. He didn’t want these kids to think they were nothing more than ‘trash’. So I told him I would see what I could do to help.

With word-of-mouth and the help of social media, the information was put out to anyone who had extra backpacks, suitcases and duffel bags. Our pleas for help were well-answered! The backpacks, suitcases and duffel bags came pouring into our office. Hughes commented, “It’s wonderful how generous the public was to our cause. Their donations exceeded my expectations many times over!” We also asked for donations of personal care products such as shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, body wash and body lotion to add to our bags. “That request was met with the same great generosity as our first request for help” stated Hughes. “We also had donations of puzzles, books, gently used personal throws, blankets, quilts, small stuffed animals and small toys. We can add these age appropriate items to the bags or kits.” Continue reading →

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Clothing Closet Mission Increases Outreach in 2019

The outreach of the Clothing Closet Mission located at the First Christian Church in Burwell continues to expand its outreach to shoppers and counties in Nebraska.  Over 170 volunteers worked many hours to organize the clothing, shoes, bedding, and other items available to shoppers to make their shopping easy and enjoyable.

You do not have to be in need to visit the Clothing Closet.  The Clothing Closet holds a treasure chest of clothing that ranges from brand new to vintage and in all sizes from infant to XXXL.  Shopping the Clothing Closet is Continue reading →

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Productive December for Keep Loup Basin Beautiful

December was a fun and productive workshop month for Keep Loup Basin Beautiful (KLBB).  Amy Hughes, Project Coordinator loves searching for, finding, experimenting with, and offering fun and useful reuse and repurpose workshops of common use items that tend to be discarded into a landfill when no longer viable.  She encourages everyone to think outside the box and look for ways to create something new out those “old” items.

During the month of December, Hughes offered two workshops focusing on the upcoming Holiday.  The first workshop Continue reading →

Technology Clean-Up Deemed Very Successful

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On September 12, 2019, Keep Loup Basin Beautiful (KLBB) partnered with the Burwell Chamber of Commerce to host a Technology Clean-up Day for the KLBB area. Items accepted included computer towers, computer monitors (fee associated with CRT monitors), laptops, old stereos, printers (fee associated), copy machines (fee associated), fax machines, televisions (fee associated), cell phones, musical equipment, VCR’s, DVD players, networking equipment among much more.

The event was deemed a great success with 4,368 pounds of e-waste collected and kept out of the landfill. This number and amount of items required a double pickup by the collection company. The staff at KLBB would like to extend a great big THANK YOU to all of you who took advantage of this amazing opportunity!!! Our area should be extremely proud of how much e-waste that they kept from entering our environmental ecosystems. KLBB staff would also like to thank the volunteers that set aside time to come and help us sort and load the items. Without the help of volunteers many of the programs and events offered would not run smoothly or effectively!! You all make these events work and work well!!!

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Keep Loup Basin Beautiful (KLBB) and the Burwell Chamber of Commerce Work Together to Offer a Technology Clean-up Event

It is with great excitement that Keep Loup Basin Beautiful and the Burwell Chamber of Commerce announce the opportunity to rid your premises of old, broken, unwanted technology items. A Technology Clean-up event is scheduled for Thursday, September 12, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the “Open Air” Beef Barn in the Garfield County Fairgrounds. Items can ONLY be dropped off during that time so please do so accordingly. Those who do not follow the time allotted will be documented.

Several items are offered for collection, some are free while others do possess a fee. Items such as computer towers, LCD (flat screen) computer monitors, cell phones, tablets, laptops, networking equipment, switches, servers, VCR’s, DVR’s, stereo equipment, musical equipment DO NOT have a fee associated with them while other items possess a FEE. The FEES are as follows: CRT computer monitor – $10/monitor; Large appliances (fridges, standalone copiers, dishwashers, AC units, Smartboards) – $25 each; Printers – $0.21/lb. If you plan on bringing an items that has a fee associated with it checks or cash can be paid to the Burwell Chamber of Commerce. We will be documenting who brings each item and if there is a fee associated with it for collection. It is suggested that if you are bringing a computer tower or a laptop for disposal that the hard drives be removed in case of any private information being present. It is also suggested that a factory reset be done on all cell phones and tablets, if possible, prior to disposal.

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Custer County Recycling

Custer County Recycling in Broken Bow provides a facility that so many communities in Custer County and surrounding counties depend on to process their recyclable materials collected in recycling trailers across the region.

Custer County Recycling | Kelly Flynn, Manager discusses more about the facility with Janet Sanders, Affiliate Director, Keep Loup Basin Beautiful.

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Clothing Closet Statistics for 2018

The Clothing Closet located at the First Christian Church at 817 J. Street, Burwell, NE continued to serve over 800 shoppers during 2018. Thanks to the work of 89 volunteers who donated more than 200 hours of volunteer time, the Clothing Closet served over 800 shoppers from 17 counties and two states in 2018. Individuals generously donated approximately 12,000 pounds of clothing and shoes. Volunteers work diligently to sort, fold, and display shoes and clothing for the convenience of shoppers. Shoppers took home over 8,000 pounds of clothing to be used by themselves and family members.
To complete the mission of the Clothing Closet, Dave and Jen Busch remove the clothing from the church that is packed in black garbage bags by volunteers, load their trailer with the bags of clothes, and then deliver the clothes to the Lincoln People’s Mission in Lincoln. The clothes may then travel to Texas, Florida, and Canada where it is then transported to other countries for distribution to other people. Their volunteer work is part of serving in the Toss Box ministries. You will find a Toss Box located across the street from the Pizza Palace in Burwell and throughout communities in Nebraska and especially in Lincoln. You may find more information about the Toss Box at https://pcmlincoln.org/donate/

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Thoene Farm Service…Leaving a Lasting Impact on the Environment

Several area businesses utilize the recycle facilities in Burwell. One such business is Thoene Farm Service Inc., a business that has been providing agricultural equipment and services since 1983. Staff at Thoene’s provide customers within 150 miles with hay equipment, irrigation power units, feed wagons and tractors along with replacement parts and services. Major equipment lines that Thoene’s carry are McCormick and Vermeer and Cummins and Isuzu Power Units but they do carry parts from many other brands! Thoene Farm Service staff are happy to help any farm/ranch customer find and/or repair any piece of equipment they have. They pride themselves on excellent customer service and work very hard on making sure the customer has everything that they need to have their operation function easily!!

Many of the supplies that are delivered to Thoene Farm Service arrive in cardboard boxes surrounded in packing paper. When cardboard recycling started being offered, via semi-trailer, at the Loup Rivers Scenic Byway Interpretive Center during Nebraska’s Big Rodeo in 2014, Thoene’s decided this would be a perfect avenue to dispose of the clean cardboard and packing paper properly. Since July of 2014, the staff at Thoene Farm Service has taken collected cardboard to the recycle trailer roughly twice a month. Sometimes the length of time varies due to parts delivery orders. Sue Thoene, was and is integral in the recycling strategies at Thoene Farm Service as she is very passionate about the environment and reducing unnecessary items from entering the landfills. As a result of adding recycling cardboard to their protocol at Thoene Farm Service it has drastically reduced the amount of products that are placed in their dumpster. The dumpster is now no longer overflowing on garbage collection day, which is once a week, and rather has room to spare.

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Ink & Toner Cartridge Recycling Offered by Keep Loup Basin Beautiful (KLBB)

Keep Loup Basin Beautiful (KLBB) Project Coordinator, Amy Hughes, is happy to announce the addition of a NEW Ink and Toner Recycling Program. The new program offers persons and businesses who have printers and copiers an environmentally conscious way to dispose of old, used, unwanted ink and toner cartridges. Keeping unnecessary, recyclable, items out of our local landfills is a key component in preserving mother earth for future generations to enjoy and that is what KLBB is all about!!!

The new Ink and Toner Recycling Program does require participants to download the list of accepted cartridges from the KLBB website (https://keeploupbasinbeautiful.org/current-projects/toner-ink-cartridge-recycle-program/). Please note that NO “generic brands” are accepted BUT “name brand” are welcome. The list of accepted cartridges does change periodically so please check back for the newest updated list prior to dropping them off at the collection sight(s).

KLBB would also invite any individuals or businesses to participate in the program by being a collection sight. KLBB will happily provide a collection box at all drop off locations. For those who participate please drop off collected cartridges at the Loup Basin RC&D Office/Loup Rivers Scenic Byway (330 S Hwy 11, Burwell, NE 68823).

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Ord/Burwell Knights of Columbus offer Charitable Services

The Ord/Burwell Knights of Columbus has decided to offer charitable services to residents in surrounding communities and counties through the Clothing Closet located at the First Christian Church in Burwell. The Ord/Burwell Knights of Columbus chose to contribute money through the Clothing Closet to be used by mothers and fathers of infants who are in need of diapers, formula, clothing, and more. Rod Valasek and Keith Vore had a tour of the Clothing Closet on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, and decided to assist others through the outreach of the Clothing Closet. The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic men’s charitable organization that was founded in 1882.  Their purpose is to provide charitable services to all.  The Ord/Burwell chapter was founded 80 years ago and is active in providing charitable services and they also participate in One Rose, One Life: Raising funds for pro-life.

Please contact any of the following individuals to inquire about the charitable services that the Ord/Burwell Knights of Columbus can provide for you:  Rod Valasek:  308 728-7617;  Keith Vore: 308-346-4911; or Kathy Mann:  308-214 -0798.  For more information about the work of the Knights of Columbus, visit http://www.kofc.org/

Pictured Keith Vore, Rod Valasek and Kathy Mann.