SnowCare for Troops Featured in “Deployment Diatribe” Blog

SnowCare for Troops Featured in “Deployment Diatribe” Blog

Project EverGreen’s SnowCare for Troops was recently featured in the Deployment Diatribe blog.

We sincerely appreciate their assistance in our ongoing volunteer drive. The national program is underwritten by THE BOSS Snowplow. Now in its third year, SCFT has 1,200 volunteers signed up to help more than 1,500 military families. Many volunteers are snow removal and landscape contracting professionals.

Click here to read more…

Jeffrey Davis of MTD Products Tackles Moody Air Force Base

Project EverGreen’s GreenCare for Troops volunteer, Jeffrey Davis w/ MTD Products, takes on Moody Air Force Base military lawns for families with currently deployed spouses.

The Melendez Military Family Day of Service

Mr. Melendez is a mechanic in the National Guard with one previous deployment to Kuwait. Recently, another deployment has taken him to the Middle East leaving behind his wife and five children.

The Melendez family registered with Project EverGreen’s GreenCare for Troops to receive free lawn services, through volunteers, with a primary breadwinner deployed in the Armed Forces. Austin Outdoor Landscaping stepped up to assist on a much larger scale.

The Home Depot Foundation did not hesitate to answer the call for assistance and team up with Austin Outdoor Landscaping (a Yellowstone Landscape Group) in Davenport, FL, on April 6, 2012. The Home Depot Foundation generously donated materials and volunteers for an outside project to create a needed relaxation and enjoyment area for our military family.

While Austin Outdoor was completing several days of landscape design and installation of a fresh green space make-over, the Team Depot volunteers, Lindsey and Ken, were planning the perfect areas for a gliding bench swing, gardening storage shed, and outstanding playground equipment for the five Melendez children to enjoy right in their own back yard!

The Austin Outdoor group was extremely grateful to have Team Depot volunteers, Ken Smith and Lindsey Schmitz available for the planning and assembling of the storage shed, the gliding bench swing, and the most time consuming of all, the assembling of the children’s playground equipment. Ken and Lindsey were truly invaluable and led the rest of the volunteers who had never assembled any type of playground equipment! They were patient, kind, and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of this project for a very deserving family. One of the photographs Lindsey took at the start of the planning and assembling, Ken Smith is smiling and giving the “thumbs up” that all is good!

Austin Outdoor Landscaping, Project EverGreen’s GreenCare for Troops, and The Home Depot Foundation, would like to thank the volunteers who participated. They changed the life of this military family by giving a gift of support that they will always remember.

Burger Bytes: GreenCare For Troops

(Read the original text of this article here)

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Don Mattox, a disabled military retiree, is giving back to his country one lawn at a time.

“GreenCare For Troops is really the simplest concept you can think about,” Mattox said. “It’s cutting grass for soldiers families that are deployed.”

GreenCare For Troops is a national outreach program, run by Project Evergreen, that provides free lawn service.

Mattox, along with his John Deere, helps five families, including his neighbor Tara Buller, whose husband is in Afghanistan.

“With two kids, school and work, it’s just one less role that I have to take on,” Buller said. “It’s nice to come home and see the yard mowed, I think, I don’t have to do that today.”

But Mattox says there is a problem. With so many families signing up for the program, the need is outweighing the support.

“In Alabama we have 27 volunteers,” Mattox said. “That is the entire state of Alabama, from Mobile to Huntsville. Currently, just in Alabama alone, there are over a thousand troops, National Guard, reservists, that are deployed. These families need care.”

Paul Bonner has been volunteering for two weeks and sees the benefits.

“I can typically put in about four hours a week. I’m going to try and do that every week,” Bonner said. “But with my job, there will be times that I can’t. But I will be thinking about it, I can tell you that.”

The rural areas of north Alabama need some support.

“We have families in, not only this county, but Colbert County, Franklin County and Lauderdale County that will also need some volunteers,” Maj. Barry Clayton added.

White House Honors Program Providing Military Families with Free Lawn Care, Landscape Services

A national program that provides military families with free landscape services was recently recognized by the White House and first lady Michelle Obama.

GreenCare for Troops was honored by White House officials in April on the south lawn at a ceremony that celebrated organizations and programs that benefit military families. GreenCare for Troops is a program sponsored by Project EverGreen that pairs military families with a family member currently deployed in the military with a local landscape contractor or volunteer to provide free lawn care and landscaping services.

“Our country’s military families sacrifice so much for all of us on a daily basis, providing environmentally beneficial lawn and landscape services for them is the least we can do to provide them with a healthy yard so they can focus on their jobs and families,” said Cindy Code, Project EverGreen executive director. “To have Project EverGreen’s GreenCare for Troops program acknowledged by the White House is incredibly humbling.”

Project EverGreen is a nonprofit organization committed to informing the public about the positive effects of well-maintained green spaces, including lawns and landscapes, sports turf, golf courses and parks.

In its five years in operation, Project EverGreen’s GreenCare for Troops program has served thousands of military families with free lawn care and landscape services across the entire country. GreenCare for Troops is underwritten by Cub Cadet. There is still a need for volunteers as currently more than 10,000 military families have signed up to receive services from GreenCare for Troops. More than 4,000 volunteers are registered to provide services, but more volunteers, labor and materials are needed.

Project EverGreen also operates SnowCare for Troops, underwritten by BOSS Snowplow. The program matches military families with local contractors to provide free snow removal.

The White House ceremony was attended by Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden. The event was part of the White House’s Joining Forces initiative. Led by Obama, the program recognized 20 organizations and communities dedicated to supporting military families throughout the country in various ways.

The ceremony was attended by Code, Den Gardner, Project EverGreen board member and Joy Westenberg, program manager for GCFT. Additionally, one of GCFT’s program recipients was invited to attend the event. Lorraine and Kimberly Starr from Tonawanda, N.Y. Kimberly is a senior Air Force airman.

Yellowstone Landscape Group – Florida, South Carolina, Georgia

Yellowstone Landscape Group offered to provide a community service of free landscape enhancements through two of their branch professional landscape companies, Austin Outdoor and Piedmont Landscape, in the states of FL, SC, and GA.

Five military families were recipients of their amazing community service. Our military families were so excited when called to ask if they needed help with their landscaping, and on top of that, it was FREE – they could not believe it was actually happening to them. Much appreciation for the generosity of these volunteers !
Port St. Lucie, FL

This project was completed for a military family in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and coordinated by Ms. Nicole Grice from Austin Outdoor.
Savannah, GA

This backyard playground makeover was designed and installed for a military family in Savanah, GA. The Yellowstone Landscape Group representative was Grant Hawkins from Piedmont Landscape.
Summerville, SC

Our military wife called our GCFT manager during the project and said she didn’t know what to do with herself…she paced the house, watched the volunteers, and couldn’t believe her eyes! On the day of the project, her soldier was due home from active duty late evening – project was completed – what a wonderful surprise!

The Yellowstone Landscape Group representative was Matt Maurer from Piedmont Landscape.

GreenCare for Troops on NBC News

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Cub Cadet and Mike Rowe Get Dirty for Green Care for Troops

watch?v=noinGSY6TaM&feature=player_embedded

GreenCare for Troops Featured in Community Paper

Click on images to download larger version

Military family writes a thank you to Crosspoint Community Church in Oconomowoc

Dear GreenCare for Troops –

What a surprise I woke up to on Saturday Morning! Actually this holiday has been full of surprises. My husband surprised us last Sunday by flying in unexpected for his 2 week block leave vacation. Then after being gone for the holidays visiting family I woke up to a brigade of wonderful people in my yard. Â I cannot tell you how amazing your team made me feel. They brought tears to my eyes so many times with their kindness. They kept saying that it was nothing to do all of that work, but to me that work has felt like a jail for the last 6 months and this is the first time in 6 months that I do not feel that way. Thank you so much for your kindness. It was such a blessing to meet your wonderful, group of helpers. I consider them to be angels in my eyes. What they accomplished in 2 hours of work it would have taken me a week to do.

My husband is home from now until December 7th before he has to fly back to Iraq, and it is so nice that he gets to actually enjoy the house instead of doing yard work. What a huge help! Thank you so much!