[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 14, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1090]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE PRINCE WILLIAM CLEAN COMMUNITY COUNCIL AND ITS 2010 
                         VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 14, 2011

  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Prince 
William Clean Community Council (PWCCC) and its 2010 Volunteer of the 
Year, Walter Skaja. With the help of dedicated volunteers like Mr. 
Skaja, the Council works to eliminate litter and graffiti in our Prince 
William neighborhoods and commercial centers.
  The idea of forming an organization in Prince William County aimed at 
addressing environmental issues was conceived in 1982 during a spring 
cleanup effort led by a group of concerned local citizens. These 
individuals, who later became the founding members of PWCCC, 
immediately recognized the importance of litter prevention education as 
a way to long-term environmental cleanliness. In 1986, the Prince 
William County Litter Control Council was born. The organization later 
came to be known as the Clean Community Council and became an affiliate 
of Keep America Beautiful, a nationwide non-profit that uses education 
and hands-on stewardship to advocate litter control, waste reduction, 
and community beautification.
  The Council's litter prevention and graffiti abatement efforts have 
not gone unnoticed. The Council's accolades include a 1994 Governors 
Award for Volunteering Excellence. The Council was a 2000 Virginia 
Stewardship Award Winner in the Communication/Education Category and 
received the Prince William County 2001 Partners for the Potomac 
Environmental Patron Award, 2000 and 2002 Keep America Beautiful 
National Awards and a 2008 Keep America Beautiful President's Circle 
Recognition Award.
  The Council's volunteers always have been essential to its success 
and the Volunteer of the Year Award is a way to recognize their 
invaluable support.
  The 2010 recipient, Walter Skaja, has been a volunteer with PWCCC 
since 2009. He started working with PWCCC through its Adopt-A-Spot 
program, where volunteers adopt an area of Prince William County and 
agree to remove litter and debris throughout the year. Shortly after 
adopting two neighborhood parks, Walter also adopted Cedar Point 
Elementary School. In the past two years, Walter has not been alone in 
his work for a clean environment. He has had help from Cub Scout Pack 
1384. Walter routinely has 100 or more scouts to help him with his 
beautification efforts. They have transformed Cedar Point Elementary 
School with landscaping improvements that have included mulching and 
planting trees, shrubs and flowers. In addition to his volunteer work 
with the Adopt-A-Spot and Adopt-A-School programs, Walter spent time 
during the major snow storms in 2009 and 2010 removing snow from fire 
hydrants and clearing snow at Cedar Point Elementary School. His 
tireless efforts helped students, parents, and staff make it to school 
safely.
  Mr. Speaker, we create safer, cleaner neighborhoods when residents 
take ownership for their communities. The Clean Community Council asks 
Prince William residents to take pride in their county. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in recognizing the successes of the Prince 
William Clean Community Council as well as in congratulating Walter 
Skaja on being named the recipient of the 2010 Prince William Clean 
Community Council Volunteer of the Year Award.

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