Butt Lady Of Auburn Grabs 1 Millionth Butt On Valentine's Day

AUBURN (CBS13) — One Auburn woman is breaking records by grabbing her 1 millionth butt.

Sally Dawley, also known as the "butt lady" of Auburn, has made it her mission to clean up her city by picking up cigarette butts, and on Wednesday she hit a major milestone.

"I'm just overwhelmed and shocked that I had to pick up this many," said Dawley.

Dawley finds them everywhere from the streets of downtown to parking lots.

"I keep track on a daily basis of how many I pick up and I just keep going," she said.

Butt after butt she sweeps them up. She uses a clicker to keep track.

"I've had days where I've picked up 3,000 butts, in one day, and it's like, come on people," she said.

This Valentine's Day, Dawley was 26 butts shy of 1 million, a milestone she's worked almost 3 1/2 years to get to, and that has given her a special nickname around town

"I'm proud to be the Butt Lady of Auburn; I just didn't realize I'd get all the fame," she said.

That fame and recognition was evident in a show of support Wednesday in the parking lot of Mel's Diner.

"And that's 1 million!" she exclaimed, as members of the community cheered her on.

"So excited and proud of her," said Eula Marriott, Dawley's cousin.

"To me, it's inspiring. To think how much of her life she spends picking up cigarette butts, that's pretty incredible," said Tony Metteer, Owner of Mel's Diner.

Since she started her quest in October of 2014 the city of Auburn listened, putting cigarette receptacles around bars and restaurants

"I would like people to take in the message, that, don't throw the butts and maybe don't smoke," said Dawley.

On a mission to clean her city and protect the animals, this "butt lady" continues to win hearts around town, hoping someone sees her story and gets inspired.

"Theres a lot of people that if they would just look for opportunities to make a difference in the world, it would be a much better place," said Metteer.

And she's not stopping here. Dawley says the communities support encourages her to keep going. She's even being sought after by other cities for her help.