Cary NC - Real Estate blog - Penny Road Elementary receives 2008 AJ Fletcher Award  
Author: John Sykes

Penny Road Elementary School (PRE) has been selected by NC Beautiful and Capitol Broadcasting to receive the prestigious 2008 AJ Fletcher award. The AJ Fletcher award is given to a 2005 Azalea Celebration recipient who has demonstrated good stewardship of the azaleas during the 2005 – 2008 period. The school received first prize, which includes 100 azaleas, a commemorative plaque and a check for $500.00 for use in its group’s 2008 Fall Beautification projects.

The AJ Fletcher award is part of NC Beautiful’s 23rd annual Azalea Celebration, which rewards North Carolina Community groups for improving their communities through creative landscape projects. “We are extremely excited about receiving the AJ Fletcher award from our 2005 Azalea Celebration garden” said John Sykes, PRE PTA Buildings and Grounds Chairman. Sykes stated “The azaleas have added wonderful color to our school. It was a great student, teacher and parent project for us”. PRE will plant the additional azaleas on the school grounds throughout the month of October.

The annual Azalea Celebration, developed and administered by NC Beautiful and sponsored by WRAL-TV 5 and Mix 101.5 Radio in Raleigh, has awarded more than 210,000 plants to approximately 3,200 non-profits in its 23-year history. The one gallon azaleas distributed by NC Beautiful are grown from cuttings taken three years ago from the WRAL gardens in Raleigh.

The azalea program is sponsored by the Capitol Broadcasting Company (CBC) and funded in part by the A.J. Fletcher foundation, which is named for the former president of CBC and the founder of WRAL.

For over forty years NC Beautiful has focused on merit-based programs that provide hands-on experience in preserving NC resources and promoting constructive action toward environmental stewardship. NC Beautiful believes that environmental education and community involvement are the keys to addressing North Carolina’s environmental challenges. For more information about programs in which your community, schools, and citizens can participate, contact NC Beautiful at PO Box 10155, Raleigh, NC 27605, or visit www.ncbeautiful.org.