Keep America Beautiful Selects National Youth Advisory Council

STAMFORD, Conn. (July 31, 2012) — Keep America Beautiful (KAB) selected 10 high school students from across the country to serve on its inaugural national Youth Advisory Council (YAC). The YAC creates a framework for youth engagement with KAB, infusing the youth voice into KAB's programs and building on the model of youth leadership seen in KAB's local and state affiliates.

The newly-selected YAC members will act as ambassadors and leaders for youth service in their respective communities and states. The selection decisions were based on a written application, geographic representation, grade level (mixing different grades), and interest area (litter prevention, beautification and community greening, and waste reduction/recycling).  No more than one member could represent any one state.

The members of the 2012/2013 YAC class come from across the nation:

• Matthew Crager, Donegal High School, Mount Joy, Penn.
• Daphne Cornish, Davenport Central High School , Davenport, Iowa
• John Cuttino, Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, Inc., Norway, S.C.
• Stephanie Davis, Haines City Sr. High School, Haines City, Fla.
• Stephanie Edwards, Murray County High School, Chatsworth, Ga.
• Michael Finnegan, Desert Mountain High School, Scottsdale, Ariz.
• Karina Gonzalez, Downey High School, Downey, Calif.
• Elizabeth Lippman, Lamar High School,, Houston, Texas
• Roshnee Raithatha, Henry Clay High School, Lexington, Ky.
• David Sperber, Randolph High School, Mendham, N.J.

Youth Advisory Council members will participate in the KAB 60th anniversary National Conference in Washington, D.C. (Jan. 29-31, 2013) and produce materials to distribute to the KAB network.

Through the generous support of the Wrigley Company Foundation, YAC members will be able to partner with like-minded youth with unique perspectives from across the country and learn about approaches for engaging youth in community service.

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of more than 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. For more information, visit www.kab.org.

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