KCCB’s Adopt a Spot program expands with campus participation

By PAMELA GRANT

Cove Leader-Press

Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful (KCCB) continues to expand its Adopt a Road, Park, Spot Program adding several new signs this week with several more coming soon.

KCCB, partnering with the City of Copperas Cove Street Department, unveiled the first sign of the week on Monday morning at Copperas Cove Junior High School. Three signs were unveiled Tuesday, with the first at Fairview/Miss Jewell Elementary School, followed by Hettie Halstead Elementary School, and House Creek Elementary School.

The Adopt a Road, Park, Spot Program was started in 2020, but became dormant after the pandemic hit, until young Nathan Garner, a former Five Hills Scholarship Pageant winner with KCCB as his platform, revived the program after applying for and receiving two $500 grants. 

The first four signs went up in December 2022. Now, the program has grown and, counting the signs that went up this week, there are now nine signs installed in the city. 

There are currently ten groups waiting for their signs which will hopefully go up later this year. That brings the number of participants up to 19. KCCB Director Roxanne Flores hopes to get at least 20 by the end of the year.

Flores said that they couldn’t do it without their awesome Street Department partners. 

She added that she thought that it was great that so many schools have gotten involved with the program.

“It gives the students ownership,” said Flores. “They’re having fun with their peers, they’re picking up trash, and they’re making a difference.”

Flores said that the program helps bring awareness about the importance of picking up after yourselves and keeping your world clean. 

Copperas Cove Junior High School was the first to have its spot officially unveiled this week. The spot, officially sponsored by CCJHS’s National Junior Honor Society, was unveiled Monday morning at 8:30 a.m. with dozens of NJHS students in attendance along with the school’s assistant principal and NJHS sponsor, Brittany Combs.

“National Junior Honor Society is about community and school service and when we saw that S.C. Lee’s Junior Honor Society adopted a road, we were like ‘That’s a good idea!’,” said Combs. “Our students wanted to do something for their school AND for their community. Adopting a road right by our school meets both of those expectations…Doing community service and beautifying Copperas Cove is a way for these kids to show pride in their town and their school at the same time.”

“I’m glad that we have it now,” said NJHS president Lillianne Chmielewski (14). “I think it’s going to show all of our new, incoming, and old members that we need to keep our society clean…I feel like if you help with keeping the community clean then you’ll feel more connected as a whole.”

KCCB director Flores said that the program encourages individuals, community groups, neighborhood organizations, business owners, schools, churches and service clubs to participate in a community activity by keeping roadsides, parks and spots litter free. In exchange for providing the signs, KCCB asks that participants perform clean-up efforts at their adopted location at least four times a year. KCCB provides them with supplies and asks that participants leave the trash bags under their signs for the city to pick up. They also request photos of the clean-up efforts.

Those interested in adopting their own road, park or spot can reach out to KCCB to learn more about the program.