Thankful for help with 50th Earth Day

To the Editor:

The 50th anniversary of Earth Day was April 22. We were able to celebrate before and after this date, thanks to many people.

A huge thank you goes to Ozark Federal Credit Union for sponsoring the T-shirt design contest. Davine Conover allowed us to have student and adult categories, with Jon Daniels winning the grand prize. All of the students’ designs were then displayed in the Margaret Harwell Art Museum in April and May. We are grateful to art teachers Brandon Francis, Alex Nicolini and Jon Daniels for encouraging their students to submit designs. Shirts are still available for purchase and benefit the art museum.

Ozark also sponsored the kids’ event held at the art museum on May 16. Kids were able to eat “edible landfills” and make art from reusable materials. Alpha Delta Kappa members Laura Drury, Jo Nell Seifert, Melodie Summers, Julie Withrow, Melissa Taylor and Patty Reed were helpers, as well as Tara Brown, and Gatlin and Brian Taylor.

Thanks to Murray Hammond, Jerrica Fox and Morgan McIntosh, we were able to plant tulip poplar trees at the downtown dog park. Other hard workers included Rowan, Ireland and Amanda Gowen of the First United Methodist Church. Hundreds of trees were given away on April 28 at Hendrickson Park, which was sponsored by P.B. Parks Department.

My last thank you is to Steve Whitworth, director of the art museum, for allowing us to have events at the museum. Hopefully, the use tax will eventually be passed, so we can enjoy more events at the museum, which is only one of five in the state to be city owned.

My goal was to get many groups, businesses, schools and churches involved in this special anniversary.

It is so important for us to remember things like using reusable water bottles instead of buying bottled water. And to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible.

Our city is lucky to have Ozark Foothills Recycling Center. It is located in the Industrial Park and accepts plastic, magazines, cans, cardboard, white paper and newspapers. The center could really use our support by taking shredded or whole white paper there Monday-Friday between 8-4. The center also offers free pick up of white paper for schools, businesses and churches.  Call 573-785-0034 for more information.

It has been said that we did not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We are actually borrowing it from our children. Therefore, it’s our duty to be mindful of saving energy and wasting less. We should make every day Earth Day!

Terena Whitworth

Earth Day Chairman

Poplar Bluff