PHOTO: The Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) Gold Star Award is the highest annual honor given to local affiliates across the state. It recognizes communities that go above and beyond baseline requirements by engaging volunteers, conducting specialized training, and executing impactful beautification and litter-reduction programs. This is the award was presented at the April City Council Meeting. Pictured: Sarah Saldivar (KSSB, Economic Development), Debbie Shahan, Rhonda Killion, Sandra Vaughn, (KSSB Board Directors); and JoAnn Weik (KTB Representative and Presenter).
Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB), a statewide nonprofit that inspires and empowers Texans to improve their communities, has recognized Keep San Saba Beautiful as a Gold Star Affiliate— its highest honor for local partners.
Gold Star status is awarded to affiliates that stand out as essential leaders in their communities, driving measurable impact through sustained programs, strong partnerships, and meaningful volunteer engagement.
“Our affiliates bring our mission to life every day. We are proud to recognize those who are leading the way as Gold Star Affiliates,” said Sara Walters, Executive Director of Keep Texas Beautiful. “These communities exemplify excellence in community leadership by mobilizing volunteers, advancing meaningful projects, and fostering a culture of care and pride in their communities.”
Across the state, communities like San Saba make this work possible. In 2025, KTB affiliates engaged over 100,000 Texans who contributed to over $4 million value of volunteer hours based on the Independent Sector value of volunteer hours. San Saba played a key role in this effort, implementing programs that reduce litter, promote recycling, and enhance the local environment.
This year’s efforts to earn the Gold Star Award were remarkable. In past years, the continued environmental efforts of recycling, litter prevention, public program awareness and beautification administered by the Keep San Saba Beautiful Volunteer Board have been instrumental in earning the award. In 2025, it was a bit different. We must recognize the community’s pride in having a clean community as the biggest factor for the award. During the devastation of the July 4 and July 13 floods, the whole community (first responders, the City of San Saba work crews, the local churches, the civic organizations, and the many volunteers, local and from afar), to name a few, worked endlessly to keep our community clean, safe, and beautiful. Despite that relief and cleanup crews continue still today, the cleanups which occurred instantly aided in “keeping life going and business as usual” and gave the many flood victims strength, hope and courage.
“The many tears, heartaches, fear, and uncertainty this community experienced during the disastrous July 2025 floods, were eased through the love and support of VOLUNTEERS. The tremendous volunteer hours unselfishly given to the cleanup efforts has to be actions earning the most respected and distinguished award.” said Sarah Saldivar, KSSB Executive Director.
Gold Star Affiliates represent the highest standard of community leadership within the Keep Texas Beautiful network. To earn this recognition, affiliates must go beyond core requirements— expanding their programming, investing in training, documenting their impact, and building strong local partnerships. The designation reflects a level of effort and commitment that sets these communities apart as leaders in creating lasting, visible change.
KTB honored all 2026 Gold Star Affiliates during the Keep Texas Beautiful Virtual Conference on May 12 - 14, 2026.
About Keep San Saba Beautiful
Commissioned in 2009, Keep San Saba Beautiful (KSSB), composed of an 8-person volunteer Board of Directors, soon earned certification as affiliates of Keep America Beautiful (KAB) and Keep Texas Beautiful. KSSB efforts “to educate and engage citizens to take responsibility for improving their community environment”, has created a cleaner more beautiful community to live, work and play.
About Keep Texas Beautiful Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) is a non-profit organization dedicated to making Texas the best place to live, work, and play! Our mission is to inspire and empower Texans to make their communities clean and beautiful. We provide resources for community improvement projects, recycling, clean-ups, and youth engagement efforts across the state. Through the Keep Texas Recycling program, we provide technical assistance, education, and market access to increase recycling in rural and underserved communities.
Everything we do focuses on mobilizing volunteers to take action by providing them with tools, resources, and training. Founded in 1967, Keep Texas Beautiful's work is driven by its network of affiliate members, communities, volunteers, and supporters that span the state and reach 17 million Texans annually.
For more information and to find your closest affiliate, visit www.ktb.org. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.