Over the past year and a half, YPK has worked closely with Keep Knoxville Beautiful (KKB) and their Adopt-a-Road campaign. This labor of love has finally come to fruition! The project originally started with the 2019 Board: together, we went through the process of choosing the road. Then in 2020, we were able to begin our road clean-ups.
Why Road Clean-Ups? YPK has done multiple clean-ups with KKB throughout my time being a member. They have become one of my favorite events. It was an event that I did not initially think I would enjoy. However, after my first clean up, I knew I wanted to do more. It is a project that allows you to see an instant improvement. You do not realize how much trash is on the street until you are the one cleaning it up. It is also an event where I have gotten to know some great friends. You spend a couple of hours with a small group of people, and picking up trash is a great ice breaker. No doubt, you will have something gross, something to laugh about and endless conversation starters. If you have not done a road clean up yet, I highly recommend it.
Why Adopt a Road? As I mentioned, the idea originated with the 2019 YPK Board, and we started the process of choosing the road. This is a project that the 2019 YPK Board was instantly excited about. Throughout the years, we had done clean-ups on streets throughout Knoxville, but this road would be ours. Adopting a road gave us ownership and visibility. It was our hope that our members would be excited to participate in a clean-up of a street with our name on it.
Why Central Street? Central Street is a part of Knoxville that has continued to grow over the past couple of years. It has been a part of town that our members and potential members use on a regular basis. This street has multiple venues, restaurants and breweries that our members frequent, and it will continue to grow. It is also a fun part of town, and our members want to see it taken care of. Obviously, we wanted visibility, but we also wanted a road where our members could see the sign and be excited.
Was I excited when the sign was posted? Absolutely! I received a notification that the sign had been installed and could not wait to see it. I drove over to the sign and stood outside in the rain taking pictures of it.
What’s next? I hope that YPK maintains this road for years to come. It will be something I will be proud to be a part of for years to come. This part of Knoxville is going to continue to grow, and so is the importance of keeping this road beautiful!
About the Author
Kelly Carpenter is a South Knoxville native and graduate of University of Tennessee. Currently, Kelly is an account executive at John Bailey Company, specializing in commercial insurance. She has represented Community Outreach on the YPK Board for the past three years. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, exploring Knoxville, and spending time with friends, family and her dog, Ryder.