History of KOB
Keep Omaha Beautiful has had a long history….
Omaha has had a long history of citizen involvement wanting to keep our community clean and projecting a good image. As far back as 1910, the Omaha World-Herald started Make Omaha Beautiful.
Keep Omaha Beautiful, Inc. came into existence in 1959 under the name City Beautification Unlimited. The name was changed in the early 1960's to facilitate its effectiveness with all areas of Omaha. Keep Omaha Beautiful, Inc. was Omaha’s first environmental agency and thrives today with the strong support of individuals, neighborhood associations, city offices and businesses.
Mrs. Les Anderson and her sister, Mrs. Del Blair, were instrumental in not only making Keep Omaha Beautiful, Inc. a strong organization, but also directing Keep Nebraska Beautiful as well.
Mrs. Anderson passed away in 1990 and Cindy Smilley was hired to run the organization
Keep Omaha Beautiful, Inc., an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, is a non-profit organization dedicated to beautification, litter prevention and cleanup, and environmentally sound management of solid waste in the Omaha area. The four areas of concentration are:
- Development of projects to encourage "grass-roots" participation by neighborhood groups and business volunteers.
- Promotion of waste reduction and recycling in cooperation with the City of Omaha’s Solid Waste Program.
- Education of the citizens and business community on the importance of litter reduction and solid waste management.
- Participation in the programs of the national Keep America Beautiful and state Keep Nebraska Beautiful organizations.
