by Linda Turkington
Collective Impact Administrator
I was so excited that I got the opportunity to help assist volunteers as part of Savage’s Day of Service. I was nervous and excited as the three school buses pulled up and Savage Employees and their spouses poured out with an exceptional ‘can do’ attitude!
Our task was to make garden kits for over 700 students that attend Midvale Elementary School. I had organized them into groups of three so they could begin the process. Never having done this before, I used my best judgment to assess what the easiest way to accomplish this was. I was so impressed by the Savage volunteers. When it became apparent that there was a bottle neck in the assembly line process, the volunteers quickly assessed the operation. Using terms I haven’t heard since my operations class in college, the Savage volunteers re-organized themselves and improved the process dramatically!
My favorite part was when I assigned an engineer to put the garden kits in boxes. He quickly showed me the most efficient way to put them in boxes so it minimized carrying trips. The volunteers worked hard and never once complained about the work. I told them all to take breaks, but they didn’t want to. They wanted to complete the project so they could do more around the school! We finished the kits and spent the rest of the time cleaning classrooms. I heard over and over from the volunteers, “You guys should dream bigger! We can do more next time.” And they weren’t kidding – their hard work and great attitude was appreciated by everyone!
Thanks, Savage, for making this huge volunteer project
a success and LIVING UNTIED!
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