Stihl partners with Virginia Beach to give back to the community on Earth Day
4 May, 2010 LM Direct!VIRGINIA BEACH, VA — Stihl Inc. partnered with the city of Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation and local tree care companies, Poor Folks Tree Service and Bartlett Tree Experts, to give back to the community on Earth Day as part of the second annual Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) Day of Service, a nationwide Earth Day event. The STIHL event took place Thursday, April 22, at Bayville Farms Park. This nationwide event gives large companies, like Stihl Inc., the opportunity to give back to their local communities and the environment.
"We are the largest privately owned employer in Virginia Beach, and we believe it is our duty to be a great corporate citizen as well," said Roger Phelps, promotional communications manager for Stihl Inc. "This event was a great way to partner with the city of Virginia Beach, to give back to the community, and to help beautify Bayville Farms Park."
The event provided around $25,000 worth of improvements to Bayville Farms Park with the help of volunteers from Stihl Inc., Poor Folks Tree Service, Bartlett Tree Experts, and city-trained personnel. Some of the improvements included removal of hazardous trees, tree planting, tree pruning, stump removal, stump grinding, spreading of mulch and pine straw, cleaning of flower beds, sand volleyball court replenishment, and playground mulch replenishment.
"We didn't have the funds to clean up the park and make it as safe as it could be," said Shawn Hopson, City of Virginia Beach open space manager. "Having the opportunity to form this partnership with Stihl Inc. and local tree care companies was a great way to maintain our beautiful parks, and their help really saved taxpayers' money."
"The space needed maintenance and tree repair, and I'm glad I was a part of the cleanup day to make it safer and more beautiful," said Robson Lacerda, a volunteer from Poor Folks Tree Service. "I take my daughter to the park all the time, and it's a great feeling to know it's safer now, and that trees and limbs that could have posed a danger have been removed."
Stihl Inc. is a supporting sponsor of the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), an international association serving lawn care professionals, landscape management contractors, design/build/installation professionals, and interior plantscapers, and is one of many companies performing a variety of volunteer lawn and landscape projects to give back to their communities across the country. The event was organized to demonstrate the importance of maintaining green spaces in recognition of the PLANET Day of Service on Earth Day. More than 3,000 people in 38 states took part in the 2010 PLANET Day of Service.
For more information on PLANET Day of Service, visit planetdayofservice.org.
For more information about Stihl Inc., please visit www.stihlusa.com.
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