News Release
Community service team attends to US Veteran gravestones - 8/20/2009
Over a year ago, Silver Star Communications enrolled in a program offered by the Yellowstone Business Partnership focusing on “business leadership for a sustainable future.”
One of the results of Silver Star’s participation in this program is the creation of a company-wide community service program impacting the communities of Teton Valley, Star Valley and Swan Valley.
The community service projects were created as a part of the social component of the program, as a way to enhance the company’s investment to the community. Silver Star has long donated financially to non-profits in the community and sponsors many local events and organizations, but felt that it could improve in the area of community service.
Silver Star’s community service project involves every employee, approximately 100, in a hands-on service project. Each team is in charge of brainstorming their own projects and organizing their own events. Ten teams were formed and only given a few guidelines by CEO and President Allen Hoopes: 1) the project must be team based, 2) the project must benefit the local community, and 3) the project must be service based.
One of the Teton Valley teams chose to clear the debris from and scrub clean the gravestones of US Veterans at the Victor Cemetery. Team captain Dayna Schmidt commented that “The highlight was actually being a part of something as important as taking care of our Veterans. Some stones were overgrown and uncared for. We were able to remove the grass and weeds and bring them the respect they deserve. We also received a lot of appreciative remarks from families who were visiting relatives. We had incredible team work. Once we had a system, we all became a well-oiled machine.” The group plans to continue to do this for the other Cemeteries throughout Teton Valley.
The second completed project in Teton Valley involved painting and landscaping of the Ruby Carson Memorial Park in Tetonia. The Tetonia team power washed and painted the picnic tables, dugout benches and posts surrounding the monument and landscaped two garden areas, digging up the grass around the monument, trimming the junipers, and spreading bark. Items were donated or provided at cost from MD Nursery, Valley Lumber and Ace Hardware.
For more information on Silver Star’s sustainability initiatives, click here. In addition, businesses interested in more information on Silver Star’s participation in the UnCommon Sense program can contact Jennifer Brannen at 208-354-6723.