Troy-Bilt® and Keep America Beautiful Launch Taking Root™, a New $25,000 Gardening Grant Program

STAMFORD, Conn., April 22, 2013 /3BL Media/ – Two organizations with a commitment to improving and beautifying communities across the country have teamed up to launch a new gardening grant program, Taking Root™. Troy-Bilt®, a leading manufacturer of outdoor power equipment, and Keep America Beautiful (KAB), the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities, will award six KAB community groups a total of $25,000 in grants and $7,000 in Troy-Bilt lawn care products.

Earlier this year, all KAB-certified affiliates in good standing were invited to apply for the Taking Root grant for gardening projects such as starting a community garden, implementing a gardening education program, or creating a flower garden. Among the applications received, six finalists were selected and announced today on Troy-Bilt’s Facebook Page.

Each finalist created a video expressing its need for the grant and the public is being asked to vote for their favorite. The organization with the highest number of votes on May 12, 2013, will receive $10,000 in cash, plus $2,000 in Troy-Bilt products. Each of the five runners-up will receive $3,000 in cash plus $1,000 in Troy-Bilt products.

The six finalists are:

• Keep Carbondale Beautiful in Carbondale, Ill.
• Keep Hammond Beautiful in Hammond, La.
• Keep Indianapolis Beautiful in Indianapolis, Ind.
• Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful in West Palm Beach, Fla.
• Rome Clean and Green in Rome, N.Y.
• Shreveport Green in Shreveport, La.

“It’s important to us at Troy-Bilt to support our communities through improving and beautifying the outdoor environment, which is why we’ve had such a successful partnership with Keep America Beautiful for nearly 15 years,” said Heidi Ketvertis, director of marketing for Troy-Bilt. “We’re excited to introduce Taking Root this year by recognizing six community groups that are embarking on important projects from community gardens to neighborhood restoration, nutrition, beautification and education.”

”Through the significant partnership with Troy-Bilt and the strong contributions of our affiliate network, we’re able to accomplish meaningful and lasting impact in communities across the country,” said Matt McKenna, Keep America Beautiful president and CEO. “We know the restorative powers that community gardens create so we’re delighted to further our purpose to create vibrant communities through this generous grant.”

Taking Root voting will close at 11:59 p.m. EST on May 12, 2013, and the winner will be announced the following week.

About Troy-Bilt
In 1937, Troy-Bilt® introduced the first American-made rototiller and since then has expanded its legendary expertise and durable product line to create a complete selection of the industry’s finest lawn and garden tools. The company’s award-winning product line includes top-quality tractors, mowers, tillers, cultivators, trimmers, snow throwers and a variety of outdoor power tools. Troy-Bilt machines are built to last and engineered to take on the toughest challenges to make jobs simpler and safer. For more information, visit troybilt.com or Troy-Bilt’s Facebook Page.

About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful is the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With a strong national network of 1,200 affiliate and partners including state recycling organizations, the national nonprofit works with millions of volunteers who take action in their communities. Keep America Beautiful offers solutions that create clean, beautiful public places, reduce waste and increase recycling, inspire generations of environmental stewards and generate positive impact on local economies. Through our programs and public-private partnerships, we engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community’s environment. For more information, visit kab.org.

    
###