A program started almost two years to make Troy an extraordinary community received recognition Tuesday.

Keep Troy Beautiful, started in April 2013 by Mayor Jason Reeves, earned the Keep America Beautiful President’s Circle Award recognition during this year’s annual Keep America Beautiful National Awards Dinner held in Washington D.C.

The President’s Circle Award recognizes the exemplary performance made by Troy and the city’s efforts in building a vibrant, sustainable community.

Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said it was more than an honor for the city to have received the award.

“Keep America Beautiful and Keep Troy Beautiful engage a cross-section of our community to promote buy in for a more aesthetically pleasing and sustainable community,” Reeves said. “Working from a grassroots level and fostering ownership from various community organizations and individuals provide a foundation that will keep Troy beautiful for years to come.”

In order to qualify for the award, the City of Troy had to meet Keep America Beautiful’s standards of merit by conducting an annual Community Appearance Index, determining the city’s cost/benefit ration and administering activities in the areas of litter prevention, recycling and waste reduction.

Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Jennifer Jehn said the work of the grassroots network was the organization’s greatest tools.

“One of Keep America Beatiful’s most effective tools is the work of our grassroots network of affiliate organizations,” Jehn said. “Our affiliates are providing real solutions that help create communities that are socially connected, environmentally healthy and economically sound.”

Keep Troy Beautiful Director Melissa Sanders said she was pleased to see the program get the recognition the city has worked so hard to receive.

“Keep Troy Beautiful is honored to receive this recognition and will continue to administer programs that brings together all segments of the community including individuals, families, groups, schools, businesses, and the local government to facilitate an effective effort for a cleaner more beautiful community,” Sanders said. “Troy is a wonderful place to live, and one of our goals as a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate is to make it an extraordinary community that shines out above the rest. We believe in our mission and that we will be able to accomplish greater things for the City of Troy.”

The Keep Troy Beautiful affiliate is a hybrid venture of the City of Troy and Keep Troy Beautiful, Inc. Keep Troy Beautiful and their respective committees serve as the catalyst and advisors of many projects to benefiting the City of Troy. The main goals of the program are to increase recycling, eradicate litter, beautify the City of Troy and promote community greening.