(Lebanon, Tenn.) - Anticipating another great year, officials from the Take Pride in America program and the Good Sam Club were on hand to help kick-off the 2005 Good Sam Club National Cleanup Day. Armed with trash bags, the two groups joined Tennessee Good Sam members in cleaning up the area surrounding the James E. Ward Agricultural Center. An estimated 100 volunteers lent a hand to the effort, making this one of the most extensive Good Sam cleanups that will take place this year.

"We saw first hand what these Tennessee Good Sam members are capable of doing in just a couple of hours," said Take Pride in America Executive Director Marti Allbright, who was in attendance. "This weekend these same efforts will take place all over the nation."

Beginning in 1996, Good Sam Club created the National Cleanup Day campaign as a way to celebrate their 30th anniversary. What started with a "one member, one piece of trash" approach, has blossomed into an all out effort among their member chapters to look after and care for the spaces they enjoy. For the second year Good Sam Club is joining Take Pride in America in its efforts to instill a sense of stewardship in all Americans who enthusiastically participate in activities on public lands.

"Who doesn't want to Take Pride in America," exclaimed Allbright. "Through activities such as the Good Sam Club's National Cleanup Day, I get to see everyday just how much concerned citizens are willing to give back, taking an active role in caring for our public lands."

Additionally, Cracker Barrel representative Rip Coggins was on-site to help kick-off the event Friday morning with a donation of 550 sausage biscuits.

About Take Pride in America
Take Pride in America® is a national partnership program that encourages, supports and recognizes volunteers who work to improve our public parks, forests, grasslands, reservoirs, wildlife refuges, cultural and historic sites, local playgrounds, and other recreation areas. With more than 100 Charter Partners, Take Pride involves Federal, state and local governments; conservation, youth and recreation groups; and top national corporations and organizations. Together, we protect and enhance the special legacy all Americans share - our public lands that cover more than one in every three acres across the Nation. For more information visit: www.TakePride.gov.

About Good Sam Club
The Good Sam Club, www.goodsamclub.com, is the world's largest Recreation Vehicle (RV) owners organization with nearly one million member families. Founded in 1966, the Club offers its members a wide variety of services, including RV Insurance, Extended Warranty on RVs (the Continued Service Plan), Emergency Road Service, RV Financing, Good Sam Credit Card and Life & Health Insurance, as well as member discounts at parks, campgrounds, and RV events. Good Sam Club members also receive a subscription to Highways, the Club's popular RV travel magazine. Additionally, the Club represents more than 2,000 local RV chapters designed to bring RVers together from similar geographic regions for group camping excursions. Extremely committed to its RV members as well as to the environment, the Club is a founder of the annual National Cleanup Day program and an advocate of public land access, Adopt-A-Highway programs and Adopt-A-Park programs, to name a few. The Good Sam Club is headquartered in Ventura, California, and is a subsidiary of the Affinity Group, Inc.