To help turn the "Building Back Better Together" symbol into action, the Edgecombe and Nash Counties Hurricane Floyd Flood Relief Communications Committee, which developed the message, has joined forces with Keep America Beautiful to promote a Clean-Up & Fix-Up Campaign to be conducted simultaneously in both counties April 14 - 30, 2000.

"Hurricane Floyd blanketed our area with piles of debris, downed trees, broken fences, littered streets and messy highways. Most of us cannot rebuild the homes destroyed by Floyd, but we can pick up the trash and help clean up the mess it left," stated Martha Daniel of Daniel Design in Rocky Mount and a member of the Hurricane Floyd Flood Relief Communications Committee.

Ivan Price, with Veillette Advertising in Rocky Mount and the designer of the Building Back Better Together logo, noted, "We saw such a spirit of cooperation and togetherness in Edgecombe and Nash Counties in the aftermath of Floyd that our committee wants to do everything it can to continue to foster this positive attitude during the rebuilding process."

A series of meetings has been held with representatives of diverse groups in Edgecombe and Nash Counties to maximize participation in the project. Local area governments, churches, chambers of commerce, school systems, community colleges, civic clubs and youth group representatives have all attended the meetings to develop plans for the Clean-Up & Fix-Up campaign.

As with any volunteer effort in such a large two county region, it will be difficult to determine how many people actually become involved in the program, but it is anti-cipated that thousands of people in both counties will make the effort. To handle the additional amount of trash collected during the 16 day event, Waste Industries will be setting up additional collection sites in both Counties.

"We will have additional trash collection containers at Nash Tech as well as in Drake and Vicks in Nash County," noted Scott Keeter with Waste Industries. "In Edgecombe County we will have additional collection containers at Gay Road, Mabry Bridge and Living Hope."

Keep America Beautiful is coordinating the work assignments, distributing the guidelines for trash collection and offering participants the bright orange bags and other materials for litter pick-up. Anyone interested in participating can contact Regina Jared at Keep America Beautiful at 972-1327.

"We developed the 'Building Back Better Together' logo as a way to provide our area with a message that fosters positive attitudes and promotes public awareness of the flood recovery process," noted Eddie Baysden, president of Baysden & Associates and member of the Hurricane Floyd Flood Relief Communications Committee.

The "Building Back Better Together" symbol was developed by Ivan Price with Veillette Advertising. Martha Daniel of Daniel Design and Eddie Baysden of Baysden & Associates have been responsible for producing the advertising materials being used to support the Clean-Up & Fix-Up campaign for the effort. A number of sources have provided no cost materials to promote the program including Allegra Printing, Cox Cable, Key Printing, Walker-Ross Printing and other area companies.

Builder's Discount Center, headquartered in Rocky Mount, has supplied the Home Builders Association operating in Edgecombe and Nash Counties as well as church groups with panels of plywood and posts so that 100 4' x 4' billboards could be erected. Vinyl signs featuring the "Building Back Better Together" symbol have been attached to the billboards and they have been erected in strategic locations throughout both counties.

"Having the support of Builder's Discount Center along with the Home Builders Association and Board of Realtors has really helped us to spread the word that we are indeed building back better together," commented Lisa Nathan with Century 21 The Combs Company in Rocky Mount and Hurricane Floyd Flood Relief Communications Committee member.

"We are very proud that so many people have become involved in the symbolic effort connected with the Clean-Up & Fix-Up program. Volunteers have already provided hundreds of hours to help us spread the word that we are indeed 'Building Back Better Together' in Edgecombe and Nash Counties," noted Nathan.

Additional 4' x 4' "Building Back Better Together" Billboards are still available for use by anyone in Edgecombe or Nash Counties who would like to erect one on their property. Interested persons can contact Nathan at 937-2121 at the Combs Company to arrange to have a sign provided. Plans call for the signs to be in use on a temporary basis through the spring and summer, 2000.

Members of the Hurricane Floyd Flood Relief Communications Committee include Eddie Baysden, Baysden & Associates; Suzanne Berardi, Doctors VisionCenter; Martha Daniel, Daniel Design; Jim Dickens, Jim Dickens Business Forms; Lisa Nathan, Century 21 The Combs Company; Ivan Price, Veillette Advertising; Ken Ripley, Spring Hope Enterprise; Leonard Veillette, Veillette Advertising; Don Williams, Lewis Advertising and Rip Woodin, Rocky Mount Telegram.