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Highlands Today

Group Relying On Fundraiser For Community Projects

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By Jim  Konkoly | Highlands Today

Published: January 15, 2008

SEBRING — Beautification projects in Highlands County were shut down last year because grant funding was pulled from Keep Highlands County Beautiful, the local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, which funds neighborhood, school and road improvement projects.

This year, though, the agency has at least $12,000 in funding, thanks to the Florida Department of Transportation renewing the agency's yearly state funding.

On top of that, Keep Highlands County Beautiful officials are hoping to add another $4,000 to $5,000 to the beautification grant pool through its first-ever fundraiser on Saturday.

Called the KHCB Fun Shoot, the fundraiser is set to start at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Square One Sporting Clays, 7500 State Road 70, Lake Placid.

In addition to both fun and competition clay shooting, the event will feature a wild game barbecue with "swamp cabbage and all the fixings."

No alcoholic beverages will be permitted at this shooting-sport fundraiser, but it will feature a raffle.

"This is a day for all levels of marksmanship to show off one's shooting abilities, or just to plain have fun," said Sherri Cooper, the KHCB coordinator.

Schools and community groups are especially eager to see KHCB grant money increase this year, as they had to cancel planned beautification projects last year.

In past years before 2007, Cooper said, KHCB typically awarded about eight or nine grants of between $800 to $1,000 to projects running the gamut from school beautification to flower and shrub planting in the Highway Park neighborhood near Lake Placid.

One school, Cracker Trail Elementary, used its KHCB grant to install a butterfly garden. In Sebring, a community group used its KHCB grant to plant palm trees to improve the appearance of an inner city neighborhood.

"This is our very first fundraiser, and it will help us with our program needs to fund beautification projects and litter cleanups," Cooper said.

If KHCB can meet its goal of raising $5,000 from the Fun Shoot, the agency would have $17,000 to dole out in beautification grants, nearly double its previous best year.

School beautification projects have a high priority for KHCB grant funding, as does adopt-a-spot road cleanups and neighborhood improvement projects, Cooper said.

Applications for KHCB grants must include the sponsoring group, the design of the project and estimated budget, as well as a timeline for completion and specifics on the number of volunteers and/or paid workers who will do the work.

Martile Blackman, a member of the KHCB board of directors, is chairing the agency's fundraising committee.

Sponsorships are available at the following levels: $500 for a team of six shooters, including lunches and use of a shooting cart; $300 for a four-person shooting team, with lunch; $100, which includes lunch for two shooters; and an individual shooter at $60, including a target shooting round and lunch.

For more information or to register for the shoot, or to sponsor a shooting team or individual , or to volunteer, contact Cooper by phone at 863-655-6400, or by e-mail at khcb@vista.net.

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