KOB’S “Fresh Paint Days” In Oklahoma

Beginning in March of this year, hundreds of Oklahomans of various ages and ethnicities began to make their way through their  individual communities  armed with plastic bags  that they were soon filling with trash and refuse as part of the “Great American Cleanup” of 2019. Their individual efforts  were done under the auspices of the Keep Oklahoma  Beautiful organization which is known by the acronym “KOB”, and is affiliated with the Keep American Beautiful entity. And  their individual efforts were ongoing through the end of May, and have  instilled a sense of pride and purpose in many of  the communities that participated in it, and stories are told of the unlikely friendships that have grown up among members of  some of the individual groups, that include relations that transcend age, race, and political and religious  affiliation.  Jeanette Nance, who serves as the Executive Director of   KOB and  previously   worked  for former Oklahoma  Governor Brad Henry as his Director Of Constituent Services,  recently released figures that indicated 2,673,383 pounds of trash were collected, $8 million was saved by the state  as a result of  the volunteers  efforts, 1,299 acres of public land were cleared in the state, and that 41,906 volunteers participated.
And the KOB has just unveiled another program that will utilize public spirited volunteers to improve Oklahoma  that is designated “Fresh Paint Days’ that will  allow  members of communities in the state to  apply to receive free paint donated by the H.I.S. Coatings firm and funds for painting supplies from  Public Services of Oklahoma for the painting of buildings that are in need of a fresh coat of paint.  “A Permission to Paint” standardized form will   be issued that will be completed by the owners of the property to ensure that their approval for the project has been obtained. All  communities that wish to participate  have to have their individual applications filed by July 31^st of this year, and  in late August those selected by KOB will be notified of their acceptance and will gain access to the paint.
It is anticipated that the painting will be completed by the end of September, and “after” photos of the freshly painted structures will be  received by the organization on or before October 2^nd. Those photographs, along with images of the buildings before they were painted, will be posted on a  KOB site and  viewers will be asked to vote for what they think is the best project completed. The eventual winners will be honored at the annual “ Environmental  Excellence Awards Celebration” that will be held later in the year. And many of the communities that have participated in previous years have reported  that the painting of buildings has resulted in similar improvements being made on adjacent structures that have improved neighborhoods throughout the state.