On September 11, 2009, the 33-acre Great Kids Farm was filled with the thundering noise of trucks, buses and construction equipment brought by volunteers from Enterprise Community Partners Inc. and Enterprise Community Investment, Inc. (collectively known as "Enterprise") in celebration of the James W. Rouse Community Service Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance. The six hour Day of Service brought to the farm several corporate and community partners with the goal of addressing the farm's most pressing needs.
In the morning, excitement and energy permeated the atmosphere as Tony Geraci; Food Service Director for Baltimore City Public Schools welcomed the 225 volunteers and 25 students from William Pinderhughes Elementary/Middle School to the farm. For the duration of the day, both children and adult volunteers worked diligently, despite the persistent rain, to complete the outdoor projects that BVU and Great Kids Farm had identified. At the end of the day, exhausted volunteers celebrated their accomplishments with a meal prepared by a volunteer group with produce from the farm.
Great Kids Farm is no stranger to volunteers and Greg Strella, the farm manager, has worked with BVU to organize several projects this year. The James W. Rouse Community Service Day was one of the largest projects that BVU has organized in 2009. The event was not only large because of the amount of volunteers present and because of the various farm projects that needed completion but also because of the resources that Enterprise contributed. On this day, the company contributed over 1,400 hours of volunteer service with a value of approximately $30,000. In addition, they contributed approximately $8,000 to purchase supplies.
"If volunteer days were set to music, we would be hearing jazz." Said Mr. Strella as the well-choreographed event was masterfully executed by all the volunteers present. BVU's Bambara was also extremely pleased with the outcomes of the day and explained that this event was a demonstration of "volunteerism evolved." "This Day of Service was unique and especially impactful because the company leveraged their relationships with other corporate and community partners to bring about sustained and long-tem farm improvements." Bambara said.
Enterprise purchased the supplies and enlisted the help of the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy to teach volunteers, farm staff and students how to build Rain barrels. During the Rain Barrel Workshop, volunteers and students learned how to maximize the use of recycled water and backyard management best practices. While these volunteers learned, another group was busy cleaning the stream that flows through the farm. Volunteers cleared garbage of different shapes and sizes, including tires, to make sure that this valuable natural resource is in optional condition for the farm's use.
Enterprise also purchased the supplies and enlisted the help of volunteers with carpentry skills to teach volunteers, farm staff and students how to build wooden vermicomposting boxes. For the farm, the vermicomposting system is of immense educational, ecological and monetary value; therefore, building these boxes was very important. The skilled volunteers brought their own power tools and were determined to construct the boxes regardless of the incessant rain. To keep the materials and tools dry while they handled them, these volunteers used their ingenuity to string a plastic tarp over the trees and create a sheltered area for all other volunteers to work under.
Enterprise also purchased the supplies and enlisted the help of volunteers with construction skills to install a deer fence around the border of the fields and to demolish part of a building that was currently abandoned because a tree had fallen over it. The 500 foot deer fence (roughly the size of 2 football fields) is an extremely important addition to the farm, as this year much of the farm's produce had was ravaged by these creatures. The dead tree that had fallen over the farm building was recycled and the mulch was used by other volunteers in landscaping projects.
Enterprise also rented a bus and sponsored 25 students to work at the farm and gain awareness of the importance of preserving the environment and living a sustainable life by recycling and re-using. Students took a tour of the farm and they also learned some carpentry, construction and water conservation skills. They also worked tirelessly on several landscaping projects to beautify the landscape and to re-plant native shrubs.
Lastly, volunteers also had the opportunity to use their artistic and culinary creativity by creating signs to label the vegetables in the field and by preparing the meal to be served at the end of the day. Volunteers creatively wrote the name of vegetables and other produce onto recycled scrap wood shaped into plaques. The "hospitality" group harvested the produce to be used in the meal from the farm and prepared other goods to serve the hard-working volunteers
Since the launch of the United We Serve Initiative, BVU has helped AB Realty, Venable LLP, Katz Abosch and Stout Causey and Horning Group (SC&H Group), Reznick Group, Kramon Graham, Constellation Energy, T.Rowe Price and Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. mobilize more than 692 corporate volunteers in support of 18 nonprofit organizations. The contribution of these employees totals approximately 4,152 hours of volunteer service valued at $88,022.
To learn about ways your company can get involved in the community contact BVU's Director of Business Services, Nan Bambara at 410.366.1722
