Copperas Cove honored as Environmental Ambassador
Special to Leader-Press
The City of Copperas Cove was honored not just one but twice on Thursday afternoon for its efforts to care for the environment and provide sustainable program supporting Mother Earth.
Copperas Cove was one of several cities surrounding Fort Hood that was honored at the CenTex Sustainable Communities Partnership memorandum of understanding signing ceremony in Nolanville.
Copperas Cove Mayor Pro Tem Dan Yancey signed the agreement on behalf of the City of Copperas Cove.
The Copperas Cove Solid Waste Department as well as the Miss Five Hills Scholarship Program, an activity of the Copperas Cove Parks and Recreation Department, were both honored with wooden plaques cut from trees to represent their environmental efforts to recycle, keep areas of the community clean, and planting projects.
Copperas Cove Five Hills Ambassador Dawn Hale serves on the Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful Commission Board and has been involved in a myriad of service projects with the royalty.
“To see all the surrounding communities coming together to commit to making our cities safer and cleaner for our fellow residents was inspiring,” Hale said. “It was humbling to accept the Environmental Ambassador award for all of the extensive work the royalty has done with Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful, past, present and future. I look forward to continuing our partnership.”
Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful Executive Director Roxanne Flores-Achmad agreed that the royalty have taken on multiple projects including painting over graffiti in the city, planting flowering plots, trash clean-ups, recycled fashion show and was instrumental in the return of the city’s annual Shred Day.
“The partnership and MOA signing are important because they provide an opportunity for the members to network and share ideas about environmental sustainability,” Flores-Achmad said.
Miss Five Hills Karina Dominguez was up bright and early picking up trash with the royalty for the Don’t Mess with Texas Trash Off.
“Receiving this award really emphasized what being part of the Five Hills Royalty holds. A big part of being a title holder is the work you give to the community,” Dominguez said. “As a community, however, it is equally as important to protect the environment and make our community a better place.”
Ms. Five Hills Jasmine Clowney said the environmental award is public acknowledgment of the titleholders’ significant work in the community.
“Some people probably see us simply as beauty queens, but we’re here to show them that we get dirty and work hard. We are more than a pageant. We’re here to make a difference in our community,” Clowney said.
Copperas Cove Five Hills Junior Ambassador Maddox Tobias was the youngest award recipient at the event.
“Taking care of our community is important to Maddox because he wants to do our part to keep it nice so everyone can enjoy it,” Maddox’s mother, Jillian Tobias said. “He is excited to find the perfect spot to plant the maple tree he received at the event, knowing it is a symbolization of partnership and unity with our surrounding communities.”