NORTH PLATTE, Nebraska (August 18, 2016) – Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading nonprofit which envisions a country where every community is a clean, green and beautiful place to live, has selected Riley Dehr of North Platte, Nebraska as one of 10 high school students from across the country to serve on its fifth national Youth Advisory Council (YAC), which is sponsored through the generous support of the Wrigley Company Foundation. Selections were based on a rigorous application and interview process.
 
Riley, a senior who was born and raised in North Platte, Nebraska, is known by his family and classmates as the ultimate "treehugger." He is proud to have started his school's first environmental club (The North Platte High School Environmental Club).  The Club developed and runs the school's entire classroom recycling program, keeping hundreds of pounds of paper and plastic out of landfills. Similarly, it has participated in multiple litter cleanups throughout the community, and has collaborated with the local recycling facility on its annual electronics recycling event.  Riley has also worked closely with Keep North Platte-Lincoln County Beautiful, the local Keep America Beautiful affiliate, on projects from litter cleanups to community gardening.  He plans to continue his environmental activism throughout his life as a conservationist and to hopefully give back to the planet that has given him so much.
 
The YAC creates a national framework for youth engagement, building on the model of youth service with Keep America Beautiful community-based affiliates. The newly-selected YAC members will provide an original point of view in assessing Keep America Beautiful programs, implement local service projects, and will act as ambassadors and leaders for youth service in their respective communities and states. Goals for 2016-2017 include raising awareness and increasing participation in youth-oriented Keep America Beautiful Schools initiatives to end littering. Over the past two years, the Keep America Schools initiative has produced an average 34 percent decrease in littering on participating school campuses, helping to significantly change littering behavior among elementary, middle and high school students.
 
“What an amazing honor it is to have one of our own residents selected. Riley is the first Nebraskan to be chosen to serve on this council.   North Platte should be proud to have such a dedicated individual representing our community and our state,” stated Mona Anderson, Executive Director of Keep North Platte and Lincoln County Beautiful. 
 
Through the generous support of the Wrigley Company Foundation, Youth Advisory Council members will meet with their counterparts from across the country via monthly conference calls and at Keep America Beautiful’s National Conference in Washington, D.C., which takes place January 24-26, 2017. YAC members also will be provided with grants to produce a community service project in their own community.
 
About Keep America Beautiful
At Keep America Beautiful, we want to ensure that beauty is our lasting signature. A leading national nonprofit, Keep America Beautiful inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. We envision a country where every community is a clean, green, and beautiful place to live. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful provides the expertise, programs and resources to help people end littering, improve recycling, and beautify America’s communities. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 600 community-based Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the support of corporate partners, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. To learn how you can donate or take action, visit kab.org. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, or view us on YouTube.
 
About the Wrigley Company Foundation
The mission of the Wrigley Company Foundation is to help improve the health of people and our planet through sustainable initiatives, including those focused on environmental stewardship, as well as local needs that ensure a healthy community. Since its founding in 1987, the Wrigley Company Foundation has donated more than $66 million USD to charitable organizations improving lives around the world. For more information, visit www.wrigley.com and www.mars.com.
 
 
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