Leaf Relief: ↑ Vacuum Uplift Initiative ↑

When autumn arrives, the leaves turn their colors and begin to fall. Unfortunately, with that spectacular show of red, yellow, and orange comes a pile of extra work for the I Want to Mow Your Lawn community. Almost doubling the time that it takes to mow and tidy a yard during spring and summer months, autumn yard work is even more hard work. Raking, while great exercise, is slow going. Added hours required to rake yards into piles of leaves, that then must be bagged and dragged to the curb, keep our volunteers from helping more people and tending to more yards.

 

We seek “leaf relief” for our volunteers, many of whom do not have the proper tools to tackle this seasonal factor and some who are themselves seniors with the aches and pains that come with aging.

 

“Leaf Relief: Vacuum Uplift Initiative” is a new I Want to Mow Your Lawn program scheduled to begin in 2022. In Year 1 of Leaf Relief, we will provide 20 of our “A-Cut-Above" members with a Leaf-Relief Kit, comprised of the following items:

 

• 20 Home Depot 30-gallon paper lawn and leaf bags (four five-packs @ $2.67 each, $10.68 total)

• Premium gloves ($16.08 each)

• RYOBI 40V Vac-Attack Cordless Leaf Vacuum/Mulcher with 5.0 Ah Battery and Charger ($199.00 each).

 

The total value of each Leaf-Relief Kit is $225.76. Estimating that taxes will vary state-to-state (but are not likely to exceed 10% of the purchase price), we have rounded the total cost of the kit to $250. With the goal of relieving 20 of our "A-Cut-Above" super volunteers at $250 per kit, we respectfully request $5,000 in funds to cover for these packages.

 

Our “A Cut Above" Club is a designated group of I Want to Mow Your Lawn volunteers who qualify by having completed a total of ten yards in a calendar year. In 2021, we have seven volunteers who have achieved this status. Due to the extensive media exposure already received, we are confident that our current and future volunteers will easily triple the "A Cut Above" number.

 

If we are successful in raising our goal of $5,000, a Leaf-Relief Kit, valued at $250, will be provided to 20 of our most prized volunteers in 2022. There are three eligibility qualifications to receive the kit:

• Complete 10 yards (individuals referred by I Want To Mow Your Lawn)

• Contact our volunteer coordinator to indicate their interest in getting a Leaf-Relief Kit

• Agree to our social media photo request (noted below)

 

Once the volunteer is qualified, the I Want to Mow Your Lawn volunteer coordinator will order online the three items comprising the kit via funds raised through this GoFundMe for pickup by the volunteer at a Home Depot location of the volunteer's choice. The first 20 qualified volunteers to fulfill the requirements of 10 yards, request the kit, and agree to the social media photo request will receive a kit. Essentially, the program is “first fulfilled, first served,” until all 20 kits are gone.

 

There are virtually no costs for this program. Un-be-leaf-able?? It's true. We have prepared marketing material to send out to our current cadre of 168 volunteers and as sales material to recruit more helpers. The announcement of the “Leaf Relief: Vacuum Uplift Initiative” program will be distributed as soon as we hit our goal of $5,000 or more. Anything raised under the goal, will still be used for this program but with less kits available.

 

Additionally, in the coming weeks, I Want to Mow Your Lawn will be approaching several past and potential donors to ask if they would be open to contributing additional funds, enabling us to purchase additional Leaf-Relief kits.

 

Finally, down the road, we see the “Leaf Relief” incentive program extending into the winter months. It would be the same concept but with a twist. Rather than Leaf Relief kits, we would incentivize and reward our high-impact volunteers with a “Snow Blaster Master” kit, comprised of extra-warm winter gloves, a thermos, and a cordless, electric snow shovel.

 

We are optimistic that our supporters share our vision to impact the yards, lives, and communities of the elderly, veterans, and others who find the challenge of yard maintenance daunting, if not impossible.

 

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Mission Statement

 

To preserve dignity, enable independence and build community by providing eco-friendly essential lawn care for the elderly, veterans and others in need.

 

Summary

 

Founded in 2020, at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, I Want To Mow Your Lawn™ provides 100% free lawn-mowing to people over 65, military veterans, disabled, and under-resourced individuals / families — with green initiatives in mind. For I Want To Mow Your Lawn™ founder, Brian Schwartz, laid off from a digital-advertising job, it was something to do, some way to help, at a time when everything in the world seemed upside down.

 

In time, demand grew — and other volunteers joined Brian. Currently, over 165 volunteers enlisted across 38 states have helped clean-up over 500 yards. For the people that I Want To Mow Your Lawn™ is helping, the grass may not always be greener but it is cut, kempt, edged, and raked.

 

Media coverage of the organization across the globe to date has resulted in five times more volunteer enlistments for the 2022 spring-summer season. The organization’s goal? 1,500 yards mowed in all 50 states with at least 500 background-screened volunteers registered by year-end 2022 and 20% growth annually, thereafter. As the organization continues its #MOWmentum , we intend to encourage use of battery-powered electric equipment — in an effort to contribute towards a cleaner earth.