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Adopt-the-Shoreline, a Lake of the Ozarks volunteer cleanup initiative sponsored by Ameren Missouri, awarded Fred Cost from FD Associates the 2017 Outstanding Volunteer Award at the group’s annual member recognition dinner held March 2 at the Tan-Tar-A Resort. The annual dinner serves as the official kickoff to the organization’s Spring Shoreline Cleanup and was attended by 140 guests.  

Bryan Vance, who coordinates the program, said Cost was an obvious choice to receive the 2017 outstanding volunteer award.

“Fred has been a dedicated, adopting member in Zone 3 since 1999,” Vance said. “His adopted area is on the main channel and starts at the 17-mile marker and moves downstream along Shawnee Bend. With the number of large coves in this area, he is cleaning over 7 miles of shoreline and his group has removed over 14 tons of trash from the lake. It is this type of dedication to the lake community that makes recognizing Cost such an obvious choice.”

This is the 26^th consecutive year of the cleanup, which runs from March 18 to April 23. Since its inception, volunteers of the organization have removed approximately 5.5 million pounds of trash and debris from along the shoreline of the Lake of the Ozarks.

Additionally, volunteers who participate annually within an adopting group received Volunteer Service Awards for their outstanding work. This year the following individuals were recognized:

• Greg Massey was recognized by Sunset Cove Properties for making their annual Zone 5 cleanup a success
• LaNell Hager from Zone 6 was recognized by the team from Creel Resort for her 19 years of participation in their cleanup effort
• Paul Schaefer and the students from Horizons Lake Education Center were recognized by Zone 10 Coordinator Bruce Mitchell for cleaning over 17 miles of shoreline in the Niangua Arm each spring
• Greg Fell was recognized by Zone 11 member Sandy Triplett for ensuring their cleanup was an annual success

Adopt-the-Shoreline is sponsored by Ameren Missouri, which provides administrative support, supplies trash bags and pays for the disposal of collected debris and trash. The program is part of Ameren Missouri’s continuing commitment to serve as a responsible steward of the lake and its surrounding environment. Cleanups are performed entirely by volunteers, who clean within 12 geographic zones around the lake.

“This will be the 26^th Annual Shoreline Cleanup and we have had more than 13,000 volunteers participate in this great community effort,” said Vance. “Our annual recognition dinner enables us to kick-off the annual Spring Cleanup by showing appreciation to the best volunteers at the Lake of the Ozarks.”

About Ameren Missouri

Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than 100 years, and the company's electric rates are among the lowest in the nation. Ameren Missouri's mission is to power the quality of life for its 1.2 million electric and 127,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. The company's service area covers 64 counties and more than 500 communities, including the greater St. Louis area. For more information please visit AmerenMissouri.com or follow Ameren Missouri on Facebook or Twitter.

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