Avalanche Impact Day

An avalanche starts small, then picks up everything in its path. Turns out our giving works the same way.

We already sponsor events, offer volunteer paid time off, make donations, and pack lunches at Kids’ Food Basket during our annual retreat. What we didn’t have was a day where the whole team (local and remote) got out of the office and did something for the places we all live in.

So we blocked off a Friday and got to work. The first-ever Avalanche Impact Day.

Cleanup at Riverside Park

The Grand Rapids crew met at Riverside Park with Friends of GR Parks and spent a couple of hours picking up trash. Liz, their volunteer and outreach coordinator, provided PPE and trash bags, and worked the whole shift alongside us.

“I use Grand Rapids parks to run all the time. Helping just a little bit is a no-brainer. We all benefit from the great parks we have in our community.” -Lance

We purposely chose a date in July because it aligned with our environmental quarterly cause and with Plastic Free July.  We wore our own Impact Day shirts and earned the sweat marks on the back of them.

“I love Riverside Park and Friends of GR Parks. Helping to clean such a special space alongside an incredible organization and my amazing colleagues was a fulfilling experience in more ways than one. I’m grateful to be an active part of Avalanche’s commitment to our community.”-Sara

The part nobody expected was the conversations with patrons enjoying the park. 

“We had several people stop us to thank us or ask how they can get involved with helping to clean up the park. It feels great to not only contribute to keeping this community space clean but also inspiring others to do so.” -Rayanne

Impact Day Works Remotely Too 

Half of an agency team being in one city shouldn’t mean the other half sits out.

Taylor cleaned up a trail near his apartment in Ann Arbor. It was in desperate need of some TLC. He ended up with three bags of trash and a satisfied heart.

Jennie went to her local library, where she’s already there most weeks with her kids. She got Dewey Decimal certified, pulled hold requests, then spent most of her time in the juvenile section. 

“The juvenile areas of libraries are typically laid out very uniquely, so not every volunteer or library staff member is trained on stocking books in that area. I have an exception since I am super familiar with that department already, and their staff really appreciated it since there were a TON of books to stock. Many kids LOVE checking out books from the library and it shows!” -Jennie

The Debrief

We wrapped up by meeting at the Grand Rapids Chamber and Zooming in everyone who wasn’t local. We talked through what worked, what to change, and how pro bono work can fit into a future Impact Day.

This is going to happen every year. Next year we may pick a different season, because summer foliage is very good at hiding trash and very good at making you crawl into it.

“Sometimes making an impact is as simple as picking up trash and leaving a place better than you found it.” – Nick

Support Friends of GR Parks

Friends of GR Parks runs volunteer cleanups, tree plantings, and park improvements across Grand Rapids year-round. You can participate on your own or encourage your friends, family, and coworkers to join you. 

Searrah Herendeen

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