Timberland Revitalizes Global Communities as Part of 9th Annual Serv-a-Palooza

Two members of the Vital team joined the 6,300 Timberland volunteers worldwide on a global community day to positively impact more than 150 communities in 32 countries.

Account Manager Natalie Cowie and Account Executive Natalie Harris took part in the UK project joining an enthusiastic team of over 220 Timberland staff and partners in Marston, Bedfordshire, to create a natural wetland habitat in the Forest of Marston Vale’s Millennium Park - in just one day!

The new wetland habitat has transformed the existing lake, which lies immediately behind the Forest Centre. Before the Timberland team went to work it was a barren expanse of water, by the end of the day it was a rich, wetland habitat abundant with native plants such as ragged robin, lesser spearwort and marsh marigold.

In total, 159 Serv-a-palooza projects in 32 countries took place with the 6,300 volunteers providing over 43,000 hours of service via numerous initiatives including building and refurbishing homes, community facilities and parks.

Service projects worldwide included:

STRATHAM NEW HAMPSHIRE: Constructing a four-bedroom home with ‘Habitat for Humanity’ that will be transported to the Gulf Coast for a family of Louisiana hurricane victims.

HONG KONG: Clearing bush and planting trees to create a safe and enjoyable outdoor

ISTANBUL, TURKEY: Assembling furniture, laying tile, installing fences, painting and cleaning at an education and rehabilitation center for autistic children.

COLORADO: Weeding, painting and cleaning senior citizen housing centers in Steamboat Springs.

Serv-a-palooza projects address a variety of community concerns, including education, youth recreation, environmental sustainability and social services. Like all of Timberland's community service initiatives, Serv-a-palooza projects are designed to be sustainable to meet long-term community needs as well as create long-term relationships between Timberland, its partners and the local community.

Both Natalie’s enjoyed the day and said: “We really got stuck in…in the afternoon we had a tough job of digging the roots of plants out of a marsh area of clay. Not only did we sink in and nearly loose our wellies but we got covered from head to toe in clay which was flying everywhere from the spades! We really felt like we helped make a difference.”