On May 17th, we partnered with more than 200 volunteers from Honeywell and Robbinsdale Cooper High School who descended on the Oliver H. Kelley Farm in Elk River to jump-start a major landscape restoration project. The Kelley Farm is both a National Historic Landmark and Minnesota Historical Society site. Volunteers replaced nearly a mile of fencing, cleared brush from 2.5 miles of trails, and repaired, built and painted 40 picnic tables.
“The landscape restoration project is something we would not have been able to do without this massive infusion of volunteers,” said Bob Quist, Oliver H. Kelley Farm historical site manager. “Fencing was the most labor-intensive activity for a farmer in the 19th century. This project gave volunteers a taste of history – and the satisfaction of work that will have a long-term impact on the community and the thousands of people who visit the farm every year.”
The project was the culmination of a year-long partnership between Honeywell and the high school’s Cooper Cares program, which challenges its student body to complete 10,000 hours of community service. Thousands of hours of student volunteer work, which also included an elementary school reading program and food shelf drive, were completed in partnership with Honeywell and its Honeywell Hometown Solutions corporate citizenship initiative. This project also marks the 16th project completed locally through Rebuilding Together Twin Cities’ partnership with Honeywell.
Thank you to Honeywell and Robbinsdale Cooper High School for making this project a huge success!
