Features Editor

For 10 years, members of the Brundidge Rotary Club have been committed to a cleaner, better community.

Each Saturday morning, a team of Rotarians walk a mile of highway leading into town gathering trash that careless motorists have tossed out of their cars onto the roadway.

Too often, Sunday morning dawns on litter along the same way. Others might be discouraged but not the Rotarians. They are committed to their anti-litter campaign and to their community. They will do what it takes for as long as it takes.

On Wednesday, the Brundidge Rotary Club was recognized for its outstanding commitment in the area of litter control. The club was presented the Governor’s Award at the 1999 Governor’s Awards Program at the Capital City Club in Montgomery.

"We were extremely honored to receive this award," said Jimmy Ramage, club president.

"What we do, we don’t do for recognition but it is nice to know that your efforts are noticed and appreciated. The Governor’s Award is a prestigious award and we are proud and honored to receive it. We hope that our efforts make Brundidge a better place to live and work. We also hope that by being visible in the community with our litter control program that we will instill in others the same pride all Rotarians feel in our hometown. One day, we hope to be a litter-free community."

The Governor’s Award Program, which is sponsored annually by Alabama PALS (People Against A Littered State), recognizes groups and individuals who demonstrate outstanding commitment in the areas of littler control, recycling, local cleanup efforts, litter education and volunteerism.

In addition to the presentations, PALS unveiled a series of public service announcements that will be televised statewide beginning in December. The Brundidge Rotary Club is one of the featured organizations in the public service announcements.

Spencer Ryan, PALS executive vice president, said a partnership has been described as a sharing of ownership, an association, cooperation and an alliance.

"Each of these terms describes the partnership between Alabama PALS and the many entities which make up this organization," Ryan said. "The PALS partnership is comprised of state and local government, industry and countless numbers of volunteers who work together to create and implement statewide programs which benefit all Alabamians."

The programs offered through Alabama PALS are the annual "Don’t Drop it on Alabama" Spring Cleanup, The Alabama Clean Campus Program, Adopt-A-Mile, Adopt-A-Stream, Adopt-A-Beach, Adopt-An-Area, The Litter Law Conference, PALS Litter Education Curriculum, Annual Governor’s Awards and the Statewide Chapter Network.

The 1999 Governor’s Award winners are Volunteer, E.J. Brown/Jackson County; Education, Clean As A Whistle/Jasper; Adopt-A-Mile, Brundidge Rotary Club; Judicial, Tuscaloosa County Drug Court; Adopt-A-Stream, Weeks Bay and Panhellinic & IFC Univ. of South Alabama; County, Marshall County; Law Enforcement, Sgt. Cecil Tidmore/Jefferson County; Adopt-A-Beach, S. Baldwin Newcombers; Media, Dennis Sherer/Colbert County; Adopt-An-Area, Sand Rock Boulders and S. Eastern Climber’s Coalition/Cherokee; Cities over 50,000, Tuscaloosa; Cities under 50,000, Jasper; Special, Pelham Pride Day and PALS of Blount County Spring Cleanup; Business and Industry, TVA-Widow’s Fossil Plant and BFI of Walker County; Legislative, Rep. Howard Hawk, Sen. Wendell Mitchell and Sen. Hinton Mitchem.