Boston, MA
Coordinators: Elinor Mason & Olivia Green
CommuniTyler Boston returned to the Charlestown Sprouts Community Garden for a sun-filled morning of clearing out masses of debris and trash. Detritus is a health risk, an eyesore and stifles growing capabilities for the garden. With a heave-ho, our group made a huge impact!
The garden is preparing to re-establish plots and be able to turn the water back on…without walls of "fencing" and piles of trash to get in the way. With about 24 friends, old and new, including a young boy who insisted to his father they take a break from watching his sister's soccer to come help, we soaked up the sun and got them well on their way.
Having earned our beers, we then went to a brand-new outdoor beer garden on the Charlestown Navy Yard waterfront to solidify our friendships!
Boulder, Colorado
Coordinator: Mallory Harter
We planted about 30 trees this weekend in Boulder, CO on a partly sunny 60-degree day. We had almost 60 people turn out to our event and now have officially planted over 100 trees over the past four years! The Boulder Forestry Service were shocked yet again by how quickly we worked and joined us for our celebration afterwards. Oh, and one brought a puppy!
We had a lovely couple close out the after-party who found us via the volunteer board at CU Boulder and thanked us for being friendly to strangers. They were just one of the many friends I made on Saturday! Ty would be so happy.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Coordinator: Bill Farley
CommuniTyler Charlotte teamed up with the Foothills Trails Conservancy to do some maintenance on a campsite on the Foothills Trail. The campsite is Laurel Fork Falls Campsite, located at the top of the falls—a gorgeous spot for camping.
The intrepid group took a boat to their service location where they worked hard to installed two new fire pits, a sign showing the entrance to the campsite from the Foothills Trail and several benches for hikers.
Chicago, Illinois
Coordinator: Jamie Lyon
CommuniTyler Chicago had our event on June 2 at the Anti-Cruelty Society, Chicago’s oldest and largest animal welfare organization. Our group of 19 volunteers served as a "Crafting Crew" and made enrichment items for animal use.
Due to all the flooding in Oklahoma, the Anti-Cruelty Society had just taken in 200 more animals, so there was an immediate need for supplies. We were told our items go a long way in making sure the animals remain happy, healthy and comfortable while in the Anti-Cruelty Society's care.
Our group made
- 38 Dog Tug Toys
- 36 Catnip Toys
- 19 Cat Cork Toys
- 19 No Sew Blankets/Beds
On top of that, were toured the facility and played with some of the furry friends. As you can imagine, that was the highlight of everyone's day!
Afterwards we barbecued, played Kan Jam, and toasted with Lagunitas
Evanston, IL
Coordinator: Amy Rogin
CommuniTyler Evanston went to Somme Woods to help with trail maintenance and clear out
some Buckthorn. We learned how to use saws, clippers and hammers (oh my!). It was one of the few warm days we've had so far this spring and the rain held out until we were done.
We had about 20 Northwestern students there and the help of other volunteers that came
to the open work day. After, we barbecued and enjoyed our Lagunitas.
Frederick, Maryland
Coordinator: Pat Brown
CommuniTyler Frederick had 15 volunteers throughout the morning on Saturday, May 18. The weather was warmer than expected, but that didn't deter the group from clearing thistle and other invasive plants throughout the Alice Nemitsas Butterfly Garden at Fountain Rock Park and Nature Center.
We planted over twenty native plants good for pollinators and butterflies and donated a fiberglass floating log for small turtles to bask in the quarry pond.
Our after-party included Lagunitas, sangria, other non-alcoholic drinks, fish tacos and all the fixins.
Marseille, France
Coordinator: Thomas Lauer
What a thrill to host our first Europe CommuniTyler event! The Marseille group picked up garbage on a beach in the south of France on a sunny, windy day with gusts up to 60 mph. A couple of times, we had to run after our garbage!
We might not have been the most organized group, but in our defense it was the day after my bachelor party, so we were doing our best!
Everyone made new friends from different cities and we went to enjoy a burger together after. Fun fact: French people eat burgers with a fork and knife!
Mill Valley, California
Coordinators: Kurt Lorenzi and Robin Wein
On Saturday, May 18 the hearty and experienced volunteers from Marin, Sonoma, and SF gathered at Homeward Bound’s garden to prepare the soil, weed and plant summer vegetables. The work we do provides food for the homeless shelters and the Culinary Academy, which trains and helps adults find jobs in hospitality and culinary arts.
It was a cold and cloudy day with rain on the horizon. However, we managed to clear and plant a 1/4 acre of the garden. The highlight of the day was burying fish carcasses to deter gophers and fertilize summer squash and zucchini. Another group cleared weeds and planted snap peas and kale.
The 45 determined volunteers worked until the rain started drenching the area. Then, wet and soggy, we headed to our home for lunch where new friends were welcomed and old friends reminisced about Tyler.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Coordinator: Paul Beck
I'd venture to guess that Communityler Minneapolis had the worst weather of all events this year (40 degrees and cloudy) but we still had 15 people show up!
We spent the morning weeding at the Minneapolis Rose Garden, the second-oldest public rose garden in the United States (1908). Our project was to pull weeds along the exterior fence to prepare the area to be planted with pre-1875 rose varieties. Most people who came only knew 2-3 other people so everyone got to meet lots of new friends.
After our volunteer event, we had an indoor BBQ sponsored by Lagunitas!
Omaha, Nebraska
Coordinator: Leslie Kwasnieski
Thanks to over 30 volunteers who showed up to help clean up 9 acres of Omaha Permaculture's new location.
We cut tree seedlings by the hundreds, painted graffiti, painted/built three 12 ft picnic tables and shared lunch. It was a wonderful day!
The best part was that several of our volunteers want to be involved with Omaha Permaculture's future events. It is really exciting to be able to connect the volunteers with such a great organization.
Paris, France
Coordinator: Craig Jansen
On June 8, a group of six set out to beautify the Bois de Boulogne Park in the west of Paris. The park is mostly forest with two large lakes and is a popular local spot for running, bicycling and family relaxation. Unfortunately, it also holds a bad reputation for its night time activities leaving it in a less than ideal state.
We set out to clean up heavily trafficked areas of the lakes and forests. Over 4 hours we cleaned more than 25 bags of cigarette butts, plastics, and bottles leaving the park a bit brighter for the visitors and local animals. I'm looking forward to promoting and growing CommuniTyler in Paris over the next years to come.
San Francisco, CA
Coordinator: Frank Bauch
Our dedicated group of San Francisco Communitylerers smiled through the rainstorms on and joined a large effort to plant trees across western San Francisco with Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF). There are about 120,000 trees planted in the city of SF, and more than half of those have been planted by FUF in their 39 years of volunteer-based tree planting.
Ours was one of their biggest tree-planting days of the year. The local congresswoman even came out to speak to us and express her excitement that we brought such a big group. Our group alone planted a dozen or so new trees on the streets and made several new friends along the way.
After, we met up with the group from Mill Valley to dry off and enjoy some snacks and beverages!
Afterward, we had a great time heading up to Marin and meeting up with the CommuniTyler Marin group for the after-party.
Santa Barbara, CA
Beach Clean up at Goleta Beach Park
Coordinator Olivia Yazzolino says: On May 19th at CommuniTy Santa Barbara we hosted a beach clean-up and helped all of our volunteers register to vote in local elections! We had a wonderful day sharing Ty’s story and even some visitors all the way from Wisconsin!
Honolulu, HI
Beach Clean Up and a Celebration of Souls & Spirits
Coordinator Rachel Saul says: We had an epic two-day one-night CommuniTyler on the northwest tip of O’ahu (Ka’ena Point and Yokohoma Bay, also called Keawaula Beach) that evolved into a quality camping trip in addition to our beach clean-up event. This part of O’ahu is a very spiritual place, with Hawaiian legends describing it as a place where the souls we have lost jump into the next world. This spiritual energy is tangible.
We cleaned the beach of trash, fishing nets and plastics as we watched the surfers enjoying the waves. Then we watched the sunset and, hours later, the crescent moon set—big and yellow under a sky full of stars. We shared stories around the campfire about Tyler and other special people in our lives we have lost, people in our lives who have impacted us and live on through our daily thoughts and actions.
We made lots of new friends throughout the day and night, and we all feel immensely grateful to be part of this island community, which depends on sustainability and cooperation amongst all of its inhabitants.
New York, NY
“It’s My Park” day at Prospect Park—a citywide effort to care for our green spaces
Coordinator Jess Trippico and Kacey Ronaldson say: We had a great day cleaning up Prospect Park in Brooklyn, mulching trails that led through the trees in a beautiful part of the park that made it hard to believe you were still in the middle of a city. We discovered that there are actually waterfalls in the park, and a hill where you can see all the way to Coney Island!
A couple of us were reminded of the year CommuniTyler volunteered after Hurricane Sandy hit NYC and we shoveled sand from a woman’s house, optimizing wheelbarrows and teams to get her whole backyard cleaned and the sand from her house back into the yard and leveled.
The day was rainy and it took teamwork for us to find each other in the beginning. There was also a half marathon going on, and some of the runners volunteered with us after! Once we all found each other, the shakedown got us pumped for the day. It was amazing to see the trails come together, as we were initially wheelbarrowing mulch quite a long way and then with all of us working together we got more done than they expected, fully completing all the trails in the area!
We all had a lot of fun talking with each other, getting to know the local runners, and making new friends who also met us at the bar afterward! We came to appreciate the smell of mulch and a day full of good conversation, being outdoors, making friends, and helping one another. It all felt fitting for remembering Ty.
Portsmouth, NH
Park and beach cleanup in Fort Stark, Newcastle
Coordinator Tyler Browne says: CommuniTyler Volunteer Day in Portsmouth, NH, was a ton of fun this year! We spent our morning clearing Nor’Easter debris and painting at Fort Stark on Newcastle Island. A BIG thanks to the Fort Stark Brigade (Peter and Mike) and to our friends who shared their Saturday morning MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND A FRIEND in honor of Tyler Lorenzi!
