A Conversation with Lois Lewis, Our 2019 Woman of the Year
We’re excited to share the third post in our 2019 awards interview series. Every year, we honor individuals, schools, corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies working to improve Georgia’s environment. Our “Carolyn Crayton” Woman of the Year Award, named for the founder of Georgia’s first Keep America Beautiful affiliate, recognizes longtime leadership in raising public awareness of our mission. Join us for a chat with Lois Lewis of Keep Smyrna Beautiful.
Carolyn Crayton (left) and Lois Lewis (right) (Photo: Tom Meyer)
Thanks for speaking with us today, Lois, and congratulations on being our 2019 Woman of the Year! How did you feel when you realized you were this year’s recipient?
I didn’t even know I had been nominated! When they called me and told me I had won, I couldn’t believe it. It’s a very big honor to be recognized like this. I volunteered with Keep Smyrna Beautiful for 27 years, and I was just out there doing my thing—it was the right thing to be doing and something I really enjoyed. I feel honored.
That’s wonderful. So what inspired you to start volunteering with Keep Smyrna Beautiful?
I had always seen signs in my traveling days, especially in Wisconsin, about groups adopting stretches of the highway, and I thought, “What’s that all about?” That always stuck in the back of my mind. Then when I retired, I spoke to a friend one day who volunteered with Smyrna Clean & Beautiful, as they used to call it. She told me all about planting jonquil bulbs and the Adopt-a-Mile program. I asked her how I could get involved, and she invited me to come to a meeting with her. That was back in March of 1991. They accepted me to the board, and I was there until 2018 when my eyesight started going. They nominated me to be a lifetime member, which is an honor too. It’s something I really enjoyed doing. The environment has always been important to me. My dad always kept everything cleaned up and taught us not to litter. I passed that on to my children too. [Taking care of the environment] has always been important to my family.
If you had to choose, what would be your proudest moment over the years?
I don’t know if I could choose just one thing! I love all of our activities, and I have met so many wonderful people throughout the years. I really enjoyed our Adopt-a-Mile programs, Bring One for the Chipper, and partnering with Rivers Alive [to clean our waterways]. I especially loved bringing literature and programming to schools and creating Boo Bags—Halloween totes that were reusable but not at all scary.
Lois meeting Cheryl Preheim of 11Alive News and Carolyn Crayton herself! (Photo: Tom Meyer)
What motivates you?
I just thoroughly enjoyed being out there in Smyrna and being a part of it all. I felt really honored to get to do that. We had a lot of events too, you know—at Christmas time, we’d have parades around the park, and we’d hand out literature about how to recycle your Christmas tree. I liked knowing we were putting good information out there to help educate everybody.
As we mentioned during the awards ceremony, you’re known locally for the quote, “nobody says no to Lois.” What guidance can you offer to other people looking to create positive change in their communities?
[Laughs] I always try to treat people how I would like to be treated. Even going out and getting the prizes for our Work Glove Luncheon, which honors City of Smyrna workers—I thought that would be a tough thing to go out and do, to ask merchants for prizes free of charge, but it turned out it wasn’t. The more I did it, the more I enjoyed doing it. You just walk in, smile, tell them who you are and how the event will help the environment, and just be nice to people. A smile and a kind word go a long way. Even if they end up saying no, you’ve still treated them nicely.
What is one thing everyone can do to make their community cleaner, greener, or more beautiful?
Just try to quit throwing your litter out the window of your car, and keep the environment around where you live cleaned up. I’m speaking of businesses too. If they go out and clean up their parking lots, it makes the area look a whole lot better. I’ve seen some doing just that, and when I do, I roll down my window and thank them for it. I think people should learn to recycle too. My husband was involved with the American Legion, and he would go there and carry their bottles to the recycling center, to try to get them interested in participating. You help your country by doing these things.