Sedona AZ (June 29, 2015) – The following is a letter to the SedonaEye.com editor:

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey
May 26, 2015
Executive Tower
1700 West Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Re: “BagReadyJobs & America the Beautiful” empowering our nation’s youth

Arizona highways are littered with trash

Dear Governor Doug Ducey,

This is our second letter to your office. The image and economy of Arizona will benefit from our combined efforts if we band together and address the litter on our highways, especially our three Arizona veteran’s highways. What people see as they travel through Arizona has a lasting impression on whether they move here, bring their business here or vacation here.

Our Yavapai County businesses and residents continue to support our local efforts since they believe that they are receiving something of value for their contributions (clean highways, an improved public image and economy) to the local youth groups and residents that pick up highway litter through the ADOT Adopt-A-Highway program.

I am including more recent newspaper stories to support our youth group and community involvement and we hope to share our concept with other youth groups, residents and organizations across the United States.

With your participation and interaction with our elected officials including other Governors we can all make a difference.

Again, I would like to mention that over the past six years, we have had the privilege of sharing our stories in national newspapers, radio and television stations. The youth groups that have been involved in this effort are the Cottonwood LDS Boy Scout Troop, Sedona Boy Scout Troop, Camp Verde Boy Scout Troop, Cottonwood Boys & Girls Club, Camp Verde American Heritage Academy, Sedona AZ Footy Soccer team, Sedona Verde Valley School and Cottonwood Mingus Union High School. Our youth are our future and they need good role models and work habits!

Danger lurks with highway signs within the ADOT right of way

“America the Beautiful & BagReadyJobs” teaches marketing, sales, service and other business skills.

As a Vietnam veteran, it causes me much stress to see our country looking like many third world countries that I have visited, where is our America and Arizona pride? Our three Arizona veteran’s highways should be an embarrassment to all of our Arizona residents! What message does this send to our youth and our veterans?

We hope you will give this second letter and its contents serious consideration and hope that you will take note of names of veterans, ADOT Adopt A-Highway groups, businesses, residents and media organizations that have been part of this effort. Our educators need to be part of the solution by teaching anti-littering and recycling messages if we are ever going to make a lasting change.

Over the next few months, I will continue to send you past and present news stories about our Yavapai County efforts that we hope will cause others to join the effort to restore the true beauty to “America & Arizona the Beautiful” on the third Saturday of February, May, August and November.

Gary Chamberlain
“America the Beautiful & BagReadyJobs”
Empowering our nation’s youth
Vietnam veteran
P.O. Box 1138
Cornville, AZ 86325
FolksvilleUSA@gmail.com

Attachment 2

Is this litter in your community? Clean it up.

Enclosures to the letter dated May 26, 2015

• Copy of letter and attachments sent to your office on May 11, 2015

• Disk of 2009 February-March litter efforts

• Verde Independent “Let’s make trash collection a Verde Valley team sport” February 25, 2015

• Verde Independent “Highway 260 Clean-up” February 20, 2015

• Verde Independent “Why can’t tourists clean up after themselves” February 20, 2015

• Camp Verde Bugle “Highway 260 Clean-up” February 20, 2015

• Verde Independent “Reese’s Tire & Auto offers support to Adopt-A-Highway groups” February 6, 2015

• White Mountain Independent “Success due to support of residents, businesses and media” February 3, 2015

• White Mountain Independent “Army vet battles trash” January 26, 2015

• SedonaEyE.com “Google – SedonaEYE.com + Folksville USA” for multiple stories

Our efforts would have not been possible without the help and support of those mentioned and many that haven’t been mentioned.

Gary Chamberlain
Cornville AZ

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