GreenCare for Troops – Seattle, Washington

The broad, patriotic appeal of Project EverGreen’s GreenCare for Troops program is winning wide public approval as it works to link lawn and landscape professionals with families whose major breadwinner is on active duty in the Middle East.

In fact, when Connie Krier of suburban Seattle heard about GreenCare for Troops, she knew it had been designed to help families just like hers. Her husband had been away for over a year in Iraq, she’d been forced to go to work full-time to support their two small children, and their lawn and landscape projects were put on indefinite hold.

Connie registered to participate – but she hadn’t dreamed what would happen next. As part of communicating the goals of GreenCare for Troops, Project EverGreen contacted Seattle radio station KBSG. As a result, their popular morning “Fastlane” talk show picked the Krier family as their GreenCare for Troops “poster child” and began to spread the word.

Fast forward to June 27, when this effort resulted in a small army of volunteers and a host of donated materials descending on the Krier home. Spring Green of Puyallup, WA lined up arborist and landscaper Jamie Bratten to supervise the project, which included extensive green space renovation with lawn care, trimming, plantings and, as a bonus, construction of a new patio.

As a result, Army Reservist Cameron Krier will find a bright, fresh landscape when he returns home from a stressful tour as an IED specialist in Iraq.

According to Den Gardner, executive director of Project EverGreen, “The publicity efforts of KBSG helped make this a real showcase for GreenCare for Troops. Going forward, we will continue to work with local and national media to underline the value of this effort and encourage broader participation from lawn and landscape professionals. Those interested in referrals from service families who have applied for help are encouraged to contact us.”