10 things to know– before you volunteer this weekend
Be prepared -- for safety, fun , and environmental impact!
1. Bring the Kids
We have planned great age-appropriate programming for kids 3-7 and the youth 7-12. These activities are being led by trained educators and will not only be fun — but an important part of making the environment a better place.
2. RSVP -- it's only polite
If you have not yet completed the RSVP form, please do. It will make the registration process so much faster and easier.
3. Acknowledge the Waivers
We have two very short waivers we need each volunteer to sign. The first is a liability waiver, and the second is a photography release. These are pretty standard.
4. Check our Material List
We have a list of materials we need volunteers to bring. It includes buckets, shovels, and wheelbarrows. If you have any of these items to lend or donate —
5. Confirm your lunch plans
Please complete this quick form if you plan on being there for lunch on Saturday or Sunday. Lunch will be from 12-1. On Saturday there will be live entertainment. We are purchasing lunch materials and volunteers will be making lunch in the morning. We want to make sure that we do a good job.
6. Plan on Parking
There will be very very limited parking. Due to the nature of the event, there will be no parking on site (6601 Auto Club Drive, Bloomington MN 55438). The City will let us park on the street. We also have off-street parking from several of our neighborhood partners.
7. Be on Time!
Please arrive early so that we can start right at 9:00 am. When you get to the Chapter House and location of the service project (6601 Auto Club Drive, Bloomington MN 55438) there will be registration tables. We will be checking waivers and giving you your work team assignment. There will be a project overview, a safety briefing, and an orientation. The morning session will start at 9:00am and go until noon. The afternoon session will start at 1 and go until 4. When you rsvp, you are assigned to one of the work teams. If you don’t show up — your team will be one person short! There will be breaks and snacks. We are a fun group — we have an important task but safety and fun are equally important.
8. Dress Appropriately
Dress for the “work” and dress for the weather. To work in the forest with tools you will need long sleeve shirts, long pants, and closed-toed shoes. It is Minnesota in April so who knows about the weather. The current weather forecast is partly cloudy and in the mid 40s. This means layers. If you have gloves to protect your hands that would be great. If you had rubber boots to make it easier to wash off the mud (and reduce the spread of invasive species) that would be the best!
9. The Chapter House
This event is being hosted at the home of the Minnesota Valley Chapter of the Izaak Walton League. (map). This is a 100% volunteer non-profit organization that is adjacent to the Bloomington Wildlife Refuge along the banks of the Minnesota River. The Chapter maintains a Chapter House. The Chapter House hosts the Kouba Gallery. The Chapter House will be open during the event for those of us that need a bit of a break! We invite you to come in and enjoy the art of Nedahness Greene.
10. Work together as a group
If you are coming as a group — We understand that some groups prefer to work together– this provides a team-building opportunity. We would like to accommodate this as much as possible. We also appreciate that not everyone is physically prepared to do the same work. We have multiple roles, some of which are very physical and some which are not. If you would like to work together as a team, please let us know ASAP. If you have members of your team requiring special accommodation to have a meaningful activity, please let us know ASAP.
Questions? Comments? Help?
If you have any questions before the event, please email etr@greencrew.club. On the day of the event, please call or text the Chapter’s Executive Director of Youth Programming, Venture Crew 3111 Advisor, and MNV IWLA Caretaker Joseph @ 612-518-5536.
