Tomorrow marks the beginning of a month-plus community service effort, carried out by Timberland employees across the globe.  The initiative is “Serv-a-palooza” – what started as a one-day, annual event where Timberland employees would abandon their desks and day jobs to serve in their local communities, and has grown to become a weeks-long series of service events executed in countries and communities around the world — all focused on meeting critical needs, creating sustainable impact and celebrating the power and passions of Timberland employees.

Serv-a-palooza is more than an event – it’s a representation of what we do best, which is sharing our strength to create positive outcomes.  Our employees’ commitment to and passion for service is far too great to fit in an 8-hour workday, and so to see the program grow much bigger and broader than it was when we started 14 years ago isn’t just gratifying – it’s absolutely necessary.

Timberland President & CEO, Jeff Swartz

Throughout September and October, Timberland employees and partners will pull on their boots and make a difference through service projects which speak to our company’s New England heritage, commitment to social and environmental responsibility, and passion for the outdoors.

In New Hampshire, hundreds of Timberland employees will do their part tomorrow to positively impact their local communities – as well as those that are not so local.  At our corporate headquarters in Stratham, volunteers will frame four houses for Habitat for Humanity.  Two of the houses will go to families from Joplin, Missouri, whose homes were destroyed by tornadoes earlier this year, and two houses will go to families in need in Kansas City, Missouri.

Other Stratham-area projects taking place tomorrow will include painting and landscaping at a non-profit and community center, and constructing an outdoor stage and amphitheatre for the town of Newmarket.  Timberland’s first New Hampshire headquarters and factory were located in Newmarket, and the small mill town is affectionately considered the “birthplace” of the Timberland® brand.

Our roots are in Newmarket … it seems only fitting that our boots are headed back there.  Many employees – including me – have really precious memories of our early days in Newmarket, and I hope the space and the foundation we create there will help create the same kind of memories for others in the future.

- Jeff Swartz

Stay tuned to the Bootmakers Blog as we share stories, photos and videos from Serv-a-palooza 2011.

Tags: community service, corporate volunteerism, global community service events, Habitat for Humanity, Joplin tornado, Making Our Difference: TBL CSR, Serv-a-palooza, Timberland, Timberland brand