LOUISIANA — According to a press release, Baton Rouge small business owner and volunteer activist, Jenni Peters, has advanced as one of eight finalists and will represent Louisiana in the national 2018 Cox Conserves Heroes competition, sponsored by Cox Communications and the Trust for Public Land. Voting is open until Oct. 15, with the winner receiving $50,000 to donate to their environmental charity of choice.
The public is encouraged to visit CoxConservesHeroes.com to view videos highlighting Peters and seven other finalists from across the nation and vote on this year’s winner.
Peters, founder of Varsity Sports specialty running stores, is being recognized for her work in jump-starting an anti-litter program called “Pick Ups”, where organized groups of runners go for a run and pick up trash along the way. These organized “Pick Ups” have taken place in Baton Rouge, Mandeville and New Orleans. Peters already won $10,000 for her cause local cause – BREC’s Little Duck Landing at City Park – when securing the Louisiana Cox Conserves Hero title for 2018.
Varsity Sports locations include Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Mandeville.
“It’s really an honor to recognize not only the work Jenni does to keep citizens of our state active, but also for her dedication to ensuring Louisiana remains the ‘Sportsman’s Paradise’ by leveraging the enthusiasm of runners to keep our communities clean and enjoyable,” said Fran Gladden, regional vice president of Government and Public Affairs, Cox Communications.
The Cox Conserves Heroes program is celebrating ten years of recognizing community members who work tirelessly to create, preserve or enhance outdoor spaces. Winners at the local level from Atlanta, Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington received $10,000 to donate to their nonprofit of choice. Selected by a judging panel within their communities, these local winners are now finalists for the national competition.
“The Cox Conserves Heroes program highlights some of the great work happening in communities around the country,” said Maury Wolfe, senior director of Corporate Responsibility and Public Affairs, Cox Enterprises. “In our tenth year of supporting this program and giving these volunteers the recognition they deserve, it’s Cox’s honor to continue to play a role in helping to make the world a better place for the next generation.”
In partnership with The Trust for Public Land, the Cox Conserves Heroes program is part of Cox Enterprises’ national Cox Conserves sustainability program. Through the Cox Conserves Heroes program, the James M. Cox Foundation has donated $860,000 to environmental nonprofits and honored more than 200 volunteers since the program’s launch a decade ago. The winner of the 2018 National Cox Conserves Hero award will be announced in late October.
