Congratulations to our Beautify Bash Awardees!

Every year we host Beautify Bash, a benefit to further our mission and to celebrate Austin’s leading environmental stewards. We are proud to announce this year’s awardees:

Samsung Austin Semiconductor Litter Abatement Award – Austin Japan Community – Since January 2018, they have been the adopters of Lamar Blvd from 51^st St to Koenig. They’ve held eight cleanups and dedicated 340 volunteer hours to caring for their adopted road, and have removed 1,400 pounds of trash and 235 pounds of recycling.
Atlassian Beautification Award – TreeFolks – TreeFolks has been caring for Austin’s urban forest for decades, and we are proud to partner with TreeFolks on their Ready? Set. Plant! events. Since 2017, they have held these large-scale tree-planting projects throughout Austin in conjunction with our Adopt-a-Creek program. As a result, they have inspired hundreds of volunteers to plant tens of thousands of trees, all in an effort to keep Austin green and beautiful. The tree’s they’ve planted have done so much to protect our watersheds and preserve nature in the city.
NXP Community Involvement Award – Jamie Gillis – As an AmeriCorps VISTA at McKinney Falls State Park, Jamie was in charge of organizing regular clean ups of the Onion Creek as part of Keep Austin Beautiful’s Adopt-a-Creek program. In addition to that, Jamie has been a supporter of Keep Austin Beautiful’s youth education programming, using our Activity Kits to teach park visitors about watersheds and litter.
Dennis Hobbs Individual Achievement Award – Al and Nancy Morgan – They have been involved in the conservation of Little Walnut Creek in Austin for 40+ years and were one of Keep Austin Beautiful’s original creek adopters. As part of the Adopt-a-Creek program, Al & Nancy have led countless cleanups with many, many volunteers over the years. Their work has included removing invasive plants, keeping native trees mulched and healthy, and cleaning up every kind of litter, from bottles and cans to tires and shopping carts.
Dell Youth Achievement Award – Lanier/Navarro High School Green Teens Class of 2019 – Lanier High School has been a consistent participant in the Green Teens program for the past 4 years. In that time, they have held regular cleanups, conducted citizen science investigation, and planted native plants on their campus.
Oracle Annual Education Award – LBJ High School Green Teens – Under the leadership of Brittany Morgan, LBJ High School re-joined our Green Teens program last year, and their enthusiasm and commitment has been incredible. During Earth Month this year, they cleaned up litter and tested water quality at Walnut Creek park, tested the soil quality and researched plants for their campus garden beds, and refurbished their school gardens by pulling out weeds and planting native plants. We are thrilled to recognize the LBJ Green Teens for their work.
Cooke & Mullen Community Leader Award – Kata Carbone – Kata is an active community member who has been a particularly dedicated caretaker of Shoal Creek. She has worked with a number of groups, including the Tzu Chi Foundation and the Allandale Neighborhood Association, to mobilize volunteers and care for green spaces along Shoal Creek. Whether working with neighbors, friends, scout troops, or others, you’ll always find Kata generously sharing her time and knowledge while planting trees, removing invasive bamboo and ligustrum, or being a respected and vocal advocate for the importance of clean water and healthy green spaces.