Project EverGreen and TOCA Partner to Aid Military Families
Project EverGreen and the Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) recently announced the creation of their “Buck It Up for Military Families” program. A partnership between both organizations, the program is designed to raise $1 each from potentially millions of consumers to expand Project EverGreen’s GreenCare for Troops (GCFT) program and begin offering scholarships to college students of military families.
GreenCare for Troops is a national program administered by Project EverGreen to provide free lawn and landscape care for military families where the major breadwinner is serving in the Armed Forces. There are currently more than 7,200 families and 2,000 volunteers signed up for the three-year-old program.
The “Buck It Up” program is designed to allow consumers to donate $1 to GCFT online at www.projectevergreen.com or www.toca.org. The program will begin by mid-March and conclude on May 16, Armed Forces Day in the United States.
Many TOCA members are already involved with Project EverGreen. In fact, TOCA members (media companies and marketing agencies) have donated more than $1 million in ad space and communications expertise in the past four years for Project EverGreen, says Den Gardner, executive director of both organizations. “The ‘Buck It Up’ program is a chance for TOCA and Project EverGreen to combine forces to reach the multiple and varied consumer audiences it reaches through publications, associations and service providers throughout the country.”
Project EverGreen and TOCA are asking others in the green industry to help spread the word to their colleagues, customers and families. Those interested in helping can contact Gardner at dengardner@projectevergreen.com.
Project EverGreen Board President Chris Kujawa, owner of Milwaukee, Wis.”based landscaping company Kujawa Enterprises, Inc., said the collaboration would help the organization take GCFT to the next level and extend Project EverGreen’s reach to more consumers. “We see ‘Buck It Up’ as a way to focus our energies with consumers on our most visible program, GreenCare for Troops. Doing this will allow us to extend our program to children of military families to further their education,” he said.
Ed Hiscock, board president of TOCA and editorial chief of Golf Course Management magazine, encourages all companies and publications to get involved in this program. “This program has the potential to provide the biggest impact yet to Project EverGreen and all its efforts to educate and inform consumers about the benefits of green spaces,” said Hiscock. “We are celebrating 20 years as an organization in 2009. This is our moment to send a message to all in the Green Industry that we can do something tangible to assist military families in the war effort.”
For more information on the program, contact Elizabeth Neiderhiser, director of strategic partnerships for Project EverGreen, at elizabethneiderhiser@projectevergreen.com or (877) 427-0627.
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