All five contest winners are highlighted in this photo collage.Photo: Briggs & Stratton
In a contest dubbed “YOU.POWERED.” Briggs & Stratton Corp. went looking for stories about Americans using outdoor power equipment to better a neighborhood, a community or an entire city. Dozens of great responses came in, the company says, and it has now chosen five winners.
“The stories we heard … confirmed that there are a lot of people out there who don’t need to be asked to help,” said Steve Kruger, director of brand marketing at Briggs & Stratton. “They see a need and go to work to help fix it.”
Each of the following winners will receive $3,000 and a piece of Briggs & Stratton-powered outdoor power equipment to continue their efforts:
- Cleveland, Ohio – Project Evergreen: Volunteers with Project Evergreen help renovate green spaces nationwide. The organization’s YOU.POWERED. entry showcased them maintaining North Carolina parks so neighborhood kids would have a safe place to enjoy the outdoors.
- Detroit – Tom Nardone of the Detroit Mower Gang: Abandoned parks and playgrounds around Detroit are no match for Nardone and the Detroit Mower gang. Together, their volunteer work has tidied up more than 20 playgrounds.
- Philadelphia – Novick Family Urban Farm: Inner-city Philadelphia may seem like an odd spot for a farm, but Novick Family Urban Farm calls Philly home and grows produce for refugees and low-income residents in the community.
- Morrisville, North Carolina – Rachel Faulkner: Out of necessity, Faulkner started mowing the lawn when her husband was diagnosed with cancer. Recognizing how much this simple act could help others, she took to mowing the lawns of other cancer patients, too.
- Green Bay, Wisconsin – Tim Knight: Knight is what Briggs & Stratton described as a “Good Snowmaritan.” He’s the guy out snow blowing his neighbor’s driveway, expecting nothing in return. In fact, if Knight had his way, he’d be done with the driveway before his neighbor even knew it was him doing the snow blowing. Fortunately, one of his neighbors writes for the local paper, managed to catch Knight in the act and then wrote a nice article about good neighbors.
Briggs & Stratton has posted more stories about folks putting outdoor power equipment to work to help others at this website.
