25th Annual Azalea Celebration Awards Over 5,200 Plants to Community Organizations

RALEIGH, NC, November 12, 2010 (Press-News.org) NC Beautiful, in conjunction with WRAL-TV, MIX 101.5 WRAL-FM, and ENCORE Azaleas, recently awarded over 5,200 azalea plants to 130 community organizations from all over the state of North Carolina. The plant distribution was part of the 25th Annual Azalea Celebration, which offers azaleas to non-profits throughout the state of North Carolina that wish to beautify their grounds by establishing well maintained and continuous landscaping projects.

Capitol Broadcasting Company President and CEO, Jim Goodmon, started the Annual Azalea Celebration in 1985 with the goal of beautifying the community and introducing new and unusual varieties of azaleas. The azaleas distributed for the celebration are taken exclusively from the WRAL-TV gardens developed by Alfred Johnston (A.J.) Fletcher, a prominent lawyer and business entrepreneur who in 1937, applied for a 250-watt AM radio station and formed Capitol Broadcasting Company. Since the program started 25 years ago, the celebration has distributed over 230,000 azaleas to 3,500 different groups across the state.

Recipients of the azaleas must represent a North Carolina non-profit organization and apply via application in the summer. Winners are announced in the early fall, and azaleas are picked up in October at the CBC transmitter site in Auburn, NC where the greenhouses and cutting beds are located. CBC horticultural staff Tim Grissom, Rodney Collier, and Jack Lamm cared for this year's azaleas. NC Beautiful Executive Director, Steve Vacendak, says that it's rewarding to see the smiles and hear the thanks from groups across the state when they arrive to pick up their plants. He also says that this year's plants were "exceptional".

"The tender love and care that Tim, Rodney, and Jack gave these plants before distribution were obvious," says Vacendak. "The azaleas were magnificent this year, and I'd like to personally thank these gentlemen for all of their efforts. I would also like to acknowledge NC Beautiful Board member Alan Herosian and his wife, Linda, for their participation in this event, as well as NC Beautiful team members Louise Carey and Aimee Zehren for their assistance. It takes many hearts and hands to make this event a success, and I'm very grateful to all of these individuals for helping make this an extraordinary day for everyone involved."

In addition to the azalea distribution, the annual celebration also honors three groups for their use and maintenance of the azaleas that they were given three years ago. This year's A.J. Fletcher Award recipients were Buckland Elementary School from Gates, NC (first place), Mt. Moriah United Methodist Church from Clinton, NC (second place), and Wiley Middle School from Winston-Salem, NC (third place).

To learn more about the WRAL Gardens, A.J. Fletcher's history, and to see many of the plants blooming throughout the year, visit the WRAL Garden website at http://www.wral-gardens.com/celebration.asp#awards.

About NC Beautiful
NC Beautiful has been part of the state's environmental preservation community for 40 years, supporting awareness, education and beautification efforts that affect our quality of life. Today, we concentrate on hands-on and merit-based programs designed to empower our citizens to preserve the natural beauty of the state of North Carolina. Whether it's school children building outdoor classrooms, graduate students developing cutting edge research, or a Boy Scout troop planting azaleas at an elder care facility, we make it possible for North Carolinians to keep NC Beautiful. For more information, visit http://www.ncbeautiful.org.

Media Contacts
Steve Vacendak, Executive Director
NC Beautiful
(919) 828-3190
svacendak@ncbeautiful.org

Louise Carey, Programs Manager
NC Beautiful
(919) 828-3190
lcarey@ncbeautiful.org