From staff reports
The Friends of Hunting Island hosted a Memorial Dedication to Veronica Miller, a longtime St. Helena Island resident who was recognized for her incredible work by the S.C. House of Representatives through a House Resolution after 16 years of service.
Miller, the first official Keep America Beautiful coordinator for Beaufort County worked through her retirement until health issues took her away in August 2019.
Here are just a few of Miller’s accomplishments recognized by the S.C. House:
Maintaining the “Keep America Beautiful” Good Standing Status as a result of implementing such initiatives as the county’s Annual Great American Cleanup program, Grinding of the Greens annual event and Adopt A Boat Landing program.
She helped grow the program to eighty five Adopt-A-Highway participating groups with 699 volunteers encouraged to make bimonthly cleanups, which resulted in better coverage throughout the county and the removal of 96,000 of litter along 310 miles of highway.
As part of Keep Beaufort County Beautiful educational efforts, she presented more than 100 educational programs at county schools and camps annually, introduced an award winning antilitter program in Beaufort County Schools, and regularly presented to Rotaries and Adopt-A- Highway groups.
Miller partnered with many agencies including the S.C. Litter Control Association, by attending the association’s annual conferences to support litter reduction efforts and regularly working with litter officers in the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office to address litter and illegal dumping issues throughout the county.
The S.C. Department of Transportation honored her with a 10-year Adopt-A-Highway Service Award, and she received the Keep America Beautiful Presidents Circle Award for Excellence each year since the award was instituted in 2002 and the Keep South Carolina Beautiful Affiliate Award since it began in 2009.
Miller was instrumental in helping the Friends of Hunting Island implement two annual beach-wide litter cleanups. The Friends continues these events as part of the KAB great American cleanup and regular litter removal from the beach areas.
Miller was recognized by the Open Land Trust in June 2001 for significant contributions to improving the scenic beauty of Beaufort County by planting a tree at Tic Toc Park.
Steve Miller, left, and Michael Murphy hold up the dedication plaque for Miller’s wife Veronica, a long-time volunteer with Friends of Hunting Island, after a brief ceremony Wednesday in the visitor’s center the south end of Hunting Island State Park. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
