To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Bill Detweiler, Development Services Department Director
Tammy King, Zoning Manager
Title
Presentation: Community Collaboration Recognition - 4H Club, Home Improvement Stores Collaborate to Benefit Senior Castle Rock Resident and Local Businesses Collaborate with the Town Making Neighborhood Clean Up Day a Huge Success
Body
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Executive Summary
Collaboration is a process of participation through which people, groups, and organizations work together to achieve desired results. When businesses team up with groups that work hard to make their neighborhoods a better place, everyone wins!
4H Club, Home Improvement Stores Collaborate to Benefit Senior Castle Rock Resident
Recently, a Douglas County 4-H Club volunteered to make a difference in the life of senior Castle Rock resident, Karen Jackson. Over twenty 4H volunteers came out to help in April to help with tree and landscape trimming, mulch spreading and trash/brush removal. This hardworking 4H group offered to come back in June to continue their efforts. This group was doing so much to help Ms. Jackson, and in doing so, some things she needed were uncovered. Ms. Jackson needed a safe way to get from her front yard to her back yard. She was using cement blocks on top of railroad ties that were crumbling which made her path very hazardous.
When Assistant Store Manager of Lowe’s Home Improvement, Dwayne Greaves, heard of Ms. Jackson’s walkway, he generously offered to provide the materials their budget would allow. Lowe’s staff member, Dennis Driml, met with Ms. Jackson to design the new walkway, and when he realized the Lowe’s Store donation was not enough, he decided to personally supply the items needed to finish the walkway. Dennis returned to Ms. Jackson’s home on several occasions to complete the project and assure the custom built path and handrail met Ms. Jackson’s needs.
With just days left before the scheduled June clean up day, a storage shed was still needed. After sharing Ms. Jackson’s story with Home Depot Managers, they too wanted to help. Joe Currier, Operations Manager, provided and expedited authorization for the store’s maximum $200 donation, but that left the store short - approximately $400 - of the funds needed for the 7‘ x 7’ Rubbermaid storage shed. Josip Idzan, Home Depot’s Assistant Store Manager, decided he wanted to personally provide the additional funds, stating “he wants the Town to know that The Home Depot cares about Castle Rock residents!”.
The unique thing about this, is that when Dennis at Lowes realized the store contribution was not enough to build the safe walkway, he stepped up and personally donated the materials needed to get the job done! Not only did he give of his time and expertise, he generously offered to personally pay for the needed materials! And when Josip realized the Home Depot donation would not be enough to provide the shed, he reached into his own pocket to provide the funds needed to provide the storage shed. Not only did our local Oakland OK’s 4 H Club step up to help, two home improvement stores stepped up to help too; and when that wasn’t enough, two very generous individuals stepped up to help someone they had never met, simply because they heard she was in need. What started as a wish for help by Ms. Jackson was turned into a reality by the organizations represented by the individuals that came out to help. The generosity, kindness and assistance provided by the volunteers is heartwarming. Because of the cooperation between these groups, Ms. Jackson has a beautiful new shed, a custom built, safe walkway and hand rail and a healthy yard.
Tonight, we ask Mayor Gray to present a Certificate of Appreciation to the following groups for their involvement in this collaborative clean up event:
Oakland OK’s 4H Club
Lowe’s Home Improvement Store
The Home Depot
Local Businesses Collaborate with the Town Making Neighborhood Clean Up Day a Huge Success
The Zoning Division hosted the third annual Neighborhood Clean Up Day Event on Saturday, May 18, 2019. Neighborhood Clean Up Day is an opportunity for residents living in or near the downtown area to dispose of bulky household items - free of charge! Four drop off locations were available to residents including Castle Rock Baptist Church, which made it easy for residents to participate. Again this year, Expert Disposal worked tirelessly to assure filled dumpsters were removed and empty dumpsters were available throughout the event.
Extra effort was made this year to “go green” and reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill from the event. Residents were provided with more options to dispose of their unwanted items. The Help & Hope Center was available to take charitable donations of usable items. Metal Men LLC staffed each location to accept old appliances, barbeque grills and other discarded items for metal recycling. Residents could also opt to place gently used items in the “Neighbor Swap” area and help a neighbor. Many residents participated in and benefited from the Neighbor Swap taking home furniture, fixtures and a huge variety of household goods.
Event day volunteers were sought in an effort to aide staff and assure participants had a pleasant experience. Nineteen volunteers, including members of Boy Scout Troop 261, were available to greet participants and assist with vehicle unloading. Granelli’s Pizzeria Owner, Angela Trano, agreed to partner with the Town for the event and as a result, Town staff, volunteers, and community partner representatives enjoyed a pizza lunch!
From beginning to end, a steady stream of residents lined up at each site and filled 34 dumpsters for a total weight of 75.25 tons of waste. Metal Men collected 55,000 pounds, which is 27.5 tons of metal recycled. The 2019 Neighborhood Clean Up Day Event resulted in a total of 102.75 tons of stuff removed from the neighborhood!
Following are some the comments received from appreciative event participants:
It makes a huge difference in our household to save a lot of money, dispose of so much accumulation, recycle metal, and put out items that other neighbors may want.
The metal recycling is such a nice way to know it's not just ending up in the land fill. It is also a fantastic day for neighbors to see each other, help each other, and just have a great time together.
What a great way to encourage some (metal) recycling and allow everyone to keep their homes clean. I loved that Help & Hope was there to take items that are still of use. This is super helpful.
Tonight, we ask Mayor Gray to present a Certificate of Appreciation to our community partners for their involvement in this collaborative community event:
Castle Rock Baptist Church
Boy Scout Troop 261
Expert Disposal
Granelli’s Pizzeria
Help & Hope Center
Metal Men LLC