Last Thursday I raked leaves with my co-workers and daughter to help Joli ready her yard for the Minnesota winter.
Raking was a part of our employer, Ameriprise's, National Day of Service. Every fall, employees across the country volunteer in the communities where we live and work, which is one of our core values at the company.
This Ameriprise value is how I was introduced to the nonprofit we were supporting, Help At Your Door. Help At Your Door helps seniors and those with disabilities remain independent in their homes through grocery delivery, transportation, and home services including fall cleanup.
According to AARP in 2021, if given the choice, 77% of adults over 50 would prefer to age in place!
I heard about Help At Your Door from Ameriprise community relations in 2019. Their mission made me think of my grandma, Nette Anderson, who still lives in the home she and my grandfather built in the 1950's. She's able to remain in her home due to her good health and support from my parents, services she uses like Meals On Wheels, and others who help her with appointments and more. I felt compelled to join the mission and have been serving on the volunteer board of directors ever since.
Help At Your Door was recognized as Golden Valley Rotary Club's Business of The Year in October. As a result, CCX Media did a feature story on the nonprofit, including capturing footage of our volunteering you can watch here.
Did I learn something through the raking volunteer experience? Absolutely!
First I learned a better way to fill pop up bags to collect leaves. Erin, my coworker showed me how to line the bag with a leaf bag for ease of collection and disposal. This lesson reinforced the importance of being open to ideas how to improve executing a task.
In addition I learned the value of teamwork as we gained efficiency by working together including when Kelly and I removed the leaf bags from the pop up bag for disposal. Teamwork makes the dream work!
Finally, I learned about the value of bringing special tools to a job or project. Erin brought the pop up bags and a really cool leaf blower that Travis used to quickly clear the leaves. Whether raking or any project, the team will benefit when you bring your special talents and resources.
According to WebMD, you burn between 350-450 calories and hour raking leaves!
Overall it was a fulfilling day spent with my daughter and co-workers. Joli, The Help At Your Door client, expressed her sincere gratitude for our help clearing her yard, aligned to my employer's commitment to community service, and supporting an award winning nonprofit that serves over 1000 seniors in the Twin Cities every year!
And of course I learned something, right?!?
Learn In The Flow Of Life
Jason
Love your dedication to serving and the fact that you think through it and share your lessons!