Posted on Mar 25, 2022 | Blog,News
Women Making History: Donna Curtis
The month of March is Women’s History Month – recognizing and celebrating the vital role of women in American history. Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) is spotlighting several amazing women making history here in Louisiana as they work to protect and improve our environment.
Today, we would like to spotlight Donna Curtis, Executive Director of Shreveport Green for the past 31 years. Under her leadership, Shreveport Green has strategically grown, implementing new educational programming and enhancement projects, in an effort to achieve a cleaner, greener community.
One of the programs Shreveport Green offers is the Tree Legacy Program, which focuses on tree plantings and tree stewardship. On Mar. 24, Shreveport Green hosted a 500 tree giveaway, in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, Texas Roadhouse, and Keep Bossier Beautiful. Prior to this event, two other tree giveaways added 750 large shade trees to the community in addition to planting 22 large trees in area parks.
Shreveport Green also places emphasis on educating people about growing healthy food to combat food insecurity. The ShreveCorps Program targets healthy eating and food insecurity through a lower school curriculum accompanied with school gardens. Additionally, the Urban Farm—under development —is part of the Choice Neighborhood Program and includes a large hydroponic facility, orchards, composting stations, and numerous raised beds. Also addressing food insecurity is Shreveport Green’s Mobile Market, which takes fresh fruits and vegetables to food deserts.
Currently, Curtis and her team are planning a big citywide cleanup for Love the Boot Week – KLB’s statewide litter cleanup initiative. The cleanup, happening on Saturday, April 23, occurs annually and is typically supported by over 1,000 volunteers. Curtis is working with several organizations locally to target main intersections, highly visible roadways, and other designated problem areas.
Curtis has led Shreveport Green to 21 national awards, including eleven first place Keep America Beautiful National System awards, the National Tree Trust Branching Out Volunteer Award in 2000, KAB National Youth Group Award for ShreveCorps, and four Keep Louisiana Beautiful awards.
Curtis attended Centenary College and graduated from LSU-Baton Rouge with a degree in speech pathology. She worked for Caddo Parish School Board as a speech pathologist for eight years before joining Shreveport Green.
“I volunteered for many organizations before finding my true calling, which is helping Shreveport find its potential as a clean, green, and healthy community,” says Curtis.
Learn more about Shreveport Green on their website and follow them on Facebook.
