June 7, 2023 – Nearly 115 ADM colleagues and the Beautify Decatur Coalition’s volunteer leaders teamed up for the second time this morning to help beautify 22nd Street.
Employees arrived on buses, donned orange and yellow safety vests and grabbed garbage bags and trash pickers to clean up litter along a three-mile stretch of the 22nd Street corridor. The roadway is one of Decatur’s main access routes and is a primary focus of Beautify Decatur’s community revitalization projects.
Beautify Decatur Co-Chair Jill Davis said this year marks the second time for the partnership, and she said having ADM staff on-site increases the cleanup’s impact.
“It’s a daunting street because it’s so long, but with 100 volunteers from ADM, it makes quick work,” Davis said. “We’re very thankful to them for helping us out.”
Cleanup locations included Pioneer Industrial, the former Pla-Mor Lanes Bowling Alley and Sundown Lounge. Beautify Decatur has worked to maintain a clean, beautiful presence through related projects for more than ten years, but today’s event was an opportunity for ADM to invest in those efforts too, said Senior Vice President for Global Operations Veronica Braker.
“Decatur is a very critical location for ADM, and as part of that, we want to make sure this is a community we can be proud of,” Braker said.
Braker said many of ADM’s employees grew up around Decatur and saw the company’s growth, encouraging them to give back when they can.
“They do it, not just because it’s a job, but it is something they believe in,” she said. “ADM is in their blood—it’s that important to them.”
Global sustainability is one of the company’s chief goals, and Braker said today’s trash pickup encouraged environmental consciousness among their staff. Combined with a desire by employees to work for a company that’s committed to its community, she said the cleanup was a successful few hours away from the office.
“This is a proud agricultural community, and we’re proud to be a part of it, and that just happens to be core to what we do as a company as well,” Braker said.
For Davis, ADM’s pledge of time and workers to help beautify 22nd Street was “heartwarming and uplifting.” She said although the event isn’t officially annual, she hopes it will become so in the future.
“They invest in Decatur, both financially and with their manpower, and it just means so much to keep us vibrant, clean, and beautiful,” Davis said.
