GREAT DIVIDENDS, BUT YOU MUST BE IN THE PROGRAM FOR THE LONG HAUL
‘’We can’t survive without the grass in our yards or trees in the forest. They provide us with the oxygen we need to breathe. Yet every day we hear on the news from the radio or television about the destruction of nature. People need to realize we all live on the same big floating rock and we only get one chance at it. Enter Project Evergreen. This volunteer organization comprised of multiple small businesses is dedicated to the protection and maintenance of our greenscapes,’’ according to Taylan S. Castner.
I myself stumbled upon the Project Evergreen program when I was reading an article in PLANET magazine that talked about the idea of giving away your company lawn maintenance services to eventually gain more business in return. Our company, K. & V. Lawncare Inc., from Fernandina Beach, FL, was looking for ways to distinguish ourselves from’’ the pack’’ and expand the number of residential accounts that we serviced in our area. I counted up the number of military bases and active duty personnel and learned there was a total of 2,000 or more potential people we could help! Wow, what a great way to reach out to military families in need and establish our name within the community! So I signed up for the program, ready to donate our lawn care services. Doing the ‘’right thing’’ proved to be harder than I had imagined since many people thought there were strings attached of some sort. After failed calls to churches and public service groups, I called the bases directly and was officially registered; we had no action whatsoever until placing a link to Greencare for Our Troops on our website.
A year later, we finally got to give back to a military family. They were so happy with the program and our service that we got our first paying client referred to us by them, as well as testimonials for our website. We have now been volunteering our lawn maintenance services with Project Evergreen since February of 2006 and have serviced 4 different properties owned by active duty service members. With so much positive response (including four additional testimonials), we lack the manpower to reach military families outside of our service area.
As a result, volunteering is even considered as part of the hiring and interview process, in addition to having other benefits. Employee Aaron Shelton adds, ‘’Our participation in this project not only makes us feel great for what we do, it’s also a proactive public relations technique. We have brought in quite a bit of business as a result. So, in actuality we are helping ourselves by helping others and bettering the scenery around us that everyone loves to see. This is key to our economic growth, at a basic macroeconomic level. People tend to travel or vacation in places that are appealing to the eye, therefore spending money and supporting the economy. Bringing in more money to an area's economy will create more job opportunities. Imagine if people did this everywhere. Maybe our economy would grow and strengthen. Who knows, maybe it would become cheaper for students like me to stay in college.’’
It is my hope that other companies join me in Project Evergreen to give back to the men and women who serve and sacrifice for our country. Not only are you doing something positive for other people, you are bettering your company, your employees and the landscapes around you that everyone enjoys.
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VOLUNTEERING FOR GREENCARE FOR OUR TROOPS DOES PAY
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Story by Vince Pfaff and written by Christine Pfaff
K and V Lawncare, Inc. is a proud participant and supporter of Project EverGreen and GreenCare for Troops in the Fernandina Beach, Florida area.
Active Member of these
fine professional organizations:
Active & Participating Member of
Northeast Florida BBB
Better Business Bureau
Chamber of Commerce
PLANET Professional Landcare Network
Florida Turfgrass Association
Project Evergreen Greencare for Troops
Georgia Turfgrass Association
