Sevier News Messenger Sevier County News and Opinion
Keep Sevier Beautiful, a local nonprofit organization that promotes litter prevention, recycling and beautification throughout Sevier County, recently awarded Trillium Awards to outstanding volunteers at its annual Volunteer Appreciation Night at Smokies Stadium.
Keep Sevier Beautiful presented awards in six categories: youth volunteers, adult volunteers, organization of the year, business of the year, outstanding service award, and the Trillium Award Scholarship.
2016 Recipients of Keep Sevier Beautiful Trillium Awards
Youth Volunteer Trillium Awards
Olivia Browning has volunteered at numerous Keep Sevier Beautiful events including planting projects and Roads & Rivers Day. Her experience as a Junior Master Gardener has been very instrumental in her support of organization’s beautification programs. Olivia also helped Keep Sevier Beautiful collect donations of clothing and shoes for the Sevier County Food Ministry and Soles 4 Souls at the Wears Valley Fall Festival. She has participated in many other programs with the organization through 4H. Her passion for the environment and Sevier County make her a very deserving award winner.
Youth Volunteer Award winner Olivia Browning is presented her award, along with the Trillium Organization Award for Junior Master Gardeners (of which she’s a member) by Keep Sevier Beautiful Executive Director Jason Davis.
Kollin Fitch, a student at Sevier County High School, has been a very active volunteer for Keep Sevier Beautiful. Kollin has volunteered at numerous events, including Roads and Rivers Day, where he served as the Patriot Park site host.
A member of the Keep Sevier Beautiful Teen Advisory Board, Kollin was instrumental recruiting new members, while also working with Sevier County High School to improve school recycling. He even started his own nonprofit, Project Neighbor Tree, which provides toiletries to families that utilize Sevier County Food Ministries using recycling bags donated by Keep America Beautiful. Kollin has incredible passion for helping others and we are very grateful for his efforts to support Keep Sevier Beautiful and the community as a whole.
Adult Volunteer Trillium Awards
Treyton Williams, a Keep Sevier Beautiful volunteer from the faculty of Walters State Community College, organized the college’s participation in several Keep Sevier Beautiful events, helping local students achieve the volunteer hours required to maintain their Tennessee Promise scholarships. He has served as a volunteer at numerous events, including work days at community gardens, Light the Way 5K, and 50K Tree Day. We are so grateful for his enthusiasm, dedication to his students, and passion for volunteering.
Walters State faculty member Treyton Williams is pictured with his 2016 Trillium Adult Volunteer Award. He is pictured with Jama Spicer-Sutton, interim dean of the Sevier County Walters State Campus.
George Hare, Superintendent at Lane Construction, was an instrumental figure in the organization’s successful Wears Valley Fall Fest.
While coordinating both volunteers and a sponsorship from LANE, George went above and beyond. Giving hours of personal time on the Wears Valley Fall Fest Committee and at the Fall Fest, using his personally-owned equipment and donating money from his own pocket, George ensured the success of one of Keep Sevier Beautiful’s biggest annual fundraisers. Due to his efforts, over $25,000 in labor and equipment was donated to the Fall Fest.
Without George, the Wears Valley Fall Fest would not have been possible. We are so grateful for his generosity, enthusiasm, and of course his wonderful sense of humor!
Mike Tollefsrud has been a standout member of Keep Sevier Beautiful’s Wears Valley Fall Fest committee and a dedicated volunteer. Mike recruited and managed the performers and entertainment at the Wears Valley Fall Fest as well as coordinating other aspects of the Fall Fest, including the tractors. Mike also has dedicated his time at events, including picking up litter in Wears Valley for Roads & Rivers Day. We are grateful for Mike’s dedication to keeping our community vibrant and beautiful!
Organization Trillium Award
The Junior Master Gardeners have been a supportive partner of Keep Sevier Beautiful’s programs and missions.
They provided many volunteers for the organization’s events, including helping to plan crafts and activities at the Wears Valley Fall Fest.
The Junior Master Gardeners also collaborated with Keep Sevier Beautiful on lessons throughout the year, participated in Roads & Rivers Day, partnered with the organization to plant over 250 trees for 50K Tree Day in November, and supported several additional beautification projects throughout the County. We are grateful to the Junior Master Gardeners for their dedication to keeping Sevier County green and beautiful!
Business Trillium Award
Laurel Crest Resort, Bluegreen Vacations, has been very active this year at Keep Sevier Beautiful events. They first reached out to the organization for a tree planting project at Pigeon Forge Primary and their support has only grown from there. They have joined the Adopt A Spot program, where Laurel Crest employees clean up a section of the Pigeon Forge greenway once a month. They have also provided volunteers for numerous events as well as donating materials from their resort, including paper towel rolls and plastic bags, for educational programs and crafts. Laurel Crest has always been committed to environmentalism and we are so grateful to them for their partnership for expanding their greening efforts.
Outstanding Service Award
Sarah Anderson, Keep Sevier Beautiful’s AmeriCorps member has been serving with use since August and is a tireless and self-motivated worker. Sarah has often gone above and beyond the call of duty during her time with Keep Sevier Beautiful. She has been an incredible team player, helping to lead programs and events from the very beginning of her time in Sevier County.
Trillium Award Scholarship
Sterling Fisher, a Gatlinburg-Pittman senior, is this year’s recipient of the scholarship because of his outstanding academic success, community service hours, and demonstrated commitment to preserving and enhancing the natural beauty of Sevier County.
KSB Board Chairman Tom Leonard, KSB Board Member Fran Troxler, Executive Director Jason Davis and KSB Program Coordinator Sarah Anderson present the 2016 Trillium Scholarship to Gatlinburg-Pittman High School graduate and KSB Teen Advisory Board member Sterling Fisher.
Sterling, a dedicated Keep Sevier Beautiful volunteer and Vice President of the organization’s Teen Advisory Board, has provided countless hours of service to both Keep Sevier Beautiful and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where he was recently honored as the National Park Service’s Southeast Regional Youth Volunteer.
Feature Photo: KSB Board Chairman Tom Leonard, Youth Volunteer Award winner Kollin Fitch, KSB Board Member Fran Troxler, Cheryl Quatrano, Maintenance Administrator of BlueGreen Vacations, KSB Program Director Sarah Anderson, Lane Construction Project Manager George Hare, KSB Adult Volunteer winner Mike Tollefsrud, KSB Teen Advisory Board member and Trillium Scholarship winner Sterling Fisher and KSB Executive Director Jason Davis gather for a photo at Smokies Stadium after the presentation of the 2016 Trillium Awards at Volunteer Appreciation Night.
