Give Back and Get Back

Join us on May 17 as we come together to give back to our community. Give Back Day is simple:

1) Find a volunteer project taking place in our community from the list below, or create your own project.

2) Show up for as long as you are available to help clean up and maintain our community.

3) Meet at Sugarman's Corner at noon for a photo of all our community volunteers.

Together, we can give back to our community and create an even better Klamath Falls! 

Ella Redkey Pool

The Ella Redkey Pool requires regular maintenance to keep it usable and looking good for our community. This year volunteers will focus on painting, filling planters, and beautifying the nearby bike path by trimming grass and removing trash.  We will provide plants, soil, paint, and paint brushes.  Please bring gardening gloves if you have them and any other gardening tools and weed eaters that you prefer to use. Give the folks at the pool a hand with some maintenance to help with these efforts! Maybe you can take a swim afterward. This group will meet at the Ella Redkey Pool. 

ODOT Adopt-a-Highway: Esplanade St. to Campus Dr.

Focusing on the Crater Lake Parkway between Portland Street and Campus Drive, this stretch of highway is adopted by Sky Lakes Medical Center. Sky Lakes will help to provide volunteers, but would also like to extend an invitation to community members. First Interstate Bank and Turn Thom Tire Factory will be donating cold water bottles for all workers sweating in the sun.  Please wear bright colors and RSVP to receive updates. 

* Participants for ODOT projects must be at least 16 years of age. Volunteers 16-18 years of age must participate with adult supervision.

Lake Ewauna Waterfront Clearing Project

Join us for the beautification of Lake Ewauna Waterfront where we will trim tall grass and blackberries along with remove trash and debris.  We will provide trash bags and gloves however if you have work gloves you love please bring them.  We are in need of any loppers or other pruning tools and weed eaters for yourself (and others if you so choose to share).  By the end of the day this waterfront park will be ready for a summer full of festivities!

Shasta Elementary School Grounds Renovation

Do you live in the Shasta Elementary area? The school could use your help as students, staff, and parents come together to improve the Shasta Elementary school grounds. 

Do you have your own project?

Fill out and submit this form with a description of the volunteer project and estimated hours to be given on May 17! We want to track all the hours given on May 17 to help demonstrate our community's commitment to making Klamath Falls an even better place to live! Questions? Email us at BlueZonesProjectKlamathFalls@sharecare.com. 

SCHEDULE (Subject to change)

ABOUT GIVE BACK DAY

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."  This quote by Margaret Mead reflects the heart that inspired the first Give Back Day in 2014 when teachers, Valli Lonner and Mary Mateos, along with Principal Charlene Herron, wanted to find a way to connect students to their community. With the support of Dr. Paul Hillyer, superintendent of the Klamath Falls City School District, the entire school district was quick to jump on board.  For the May 2016 Give Back Day, with all schools in the district participating, they gave 3,929 hours at 70 sites around our community. 

In the winter of 2016, Valli Lonner had a vision of expanding Give Back Day to a community-wide effort. That became a reality when Blue Zones Project and the Klamath Falls City School District collaborated to make the vision a reality. The Blue Zones Project is excited to continue the effort, and work with the Klamath Falls City School District to demonstrate the collective impact our community can have by coming together to create an even better Klamath Falls. This vision for 2017 resulted in 5,004 hours of community service throughout Klamath Falls!