Corbin Wal-Mart wins PRIDE Volunteer of the Month Award

Wal-Mart of Corbin (#1259) earned southern and eastern Kentucky’s PRIDE Volunteer of the Month Award for November 2009. The Wal-Mart associates and store manager Brian Kitchen were honored for donating their time and resources to support local cleanup and environmental education activities.

“The Corbin Wal-Mart team has become one of our most reliable partners,” said Karen Engle, who heads the nonprofit PRIDE organization. “When we need volunteers or materials for a PRIDE event, or when local schools need assistance, we just call Brian. He and his associates always help. Their commitment to community service is outstanding.”

Most recently, the Corbin Wal-Mart assisted with the PRIDE Envi Youth Conference at the Arena on Oct. 30. Associates from the Corbin Wal-Mart, along with other Wal-Mart stores in the area, volunteered to serve lunch to the 2,300 students, who had gathered to learn about taking personal responsibility for the environment and serving the community. Kitchen donated 7,400 cookies and 2,800 plates for the event. 

During PRIDE Spring Cleanup Month last April, Corbin Wal-Mart associates volunteered to pick up trash at Cumberland Falls and Laurel Lake, and they participated in Corbin Middle School’s downtown cleanup. At the Cumberland Falls cleanup, the associates made up the largest volunteer group from Whitley County. Kitchen donated door prizes to thank all volunteers after that event. Kitchen promoted the Spring Cleanup by playing a PRIDE video continuously in the store throughout April.

The Corbin Wal-Mart team supports many local environmental education projects. To help launch recycling programs at Oak Grove, Whitley North and Corbin Elementary Schools, Kitchen donated recycling containers. At Whitley North Elementary, the store sponsors pizza parties for the classes that recycle the most each month. A manager set up a recycling booth at a Hunter Hill Elementary event. On Earth Day, associates worked with Corbin Elementary students to add rocks and plants to the school entrance, and they helped Corbin Middle students mulch the city park. Kitchen donated the materials for those activities.

“I appreciate the associates at my store,” Kitchen said. “Without them, none of this would be possible. They have a great deal of loyalty to their community.”

“Sustainability, to us, is anything that makes life better for the community we live in,” Kitchen added. As an example, he said that associates recently raised $3,000 to build a playground at the homeless shelter in London. 

The PRIDE Volunteer of the Month program recognizes hard work and dedication to the PRIDE initiative. With corporate sponsorship from TECO Coal, WYMT-TV airs commercials about each PRIDE Volunteer of the Month. The 12 Volunteers of the Month are considered for PRIDE’s annual Tony Turner Volunteer of the Year Award.

“Volunteers are the backbone of PRIDE,” said Congressman Hal Rogers, who founded PRIDE in 1997. “We wouldn’t be where we are without our volunteers. More than 290,000 volunteers have helped with PRIDE cleanup and education projects. We want to thank TECO Coal for helping PRIDE give these generous people the recognition they deserve.”

In 38 counties of southern and eastern Kentucky, PRIDE links citizens with the resources of local, state and federal agencies to clean up the region’s waterways, end illegal trash dumps and promote environmental education and awareness. PRIDE is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The PRIDE web site is www.kypride.org.