Enterprise Community Partners Inc. 2009 James W. Rouse
Community Service Day
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
