Hello, Friends of the James River Park.

As the weather changes, so does the pace of our work in the Park. Volunteerism slows down, as people don’t want to spend as much time outside. We don’t blame anyone for that, and I am excited to share more with you about the impact that our corporate group volunteers made in 2023.

This year we worked with nearly 60 different corporate groups to bring in more than 800 volunteers to help clean up litter, paint over graffiti, work on landscaping, and complete other projects in the Park. Each of those volunteers spent approximately 3 hours working with us, for a total of over 2,400 volunteer hours contributed by our corporate group volunteering partners this year.

FOJRP is extremely grateful for the support of our corporate group volunteers. Their contributions help to make the James River Park System a vibrant and welcoming place for everyone to enjoy. It makes me proud that so many local companies are involved in our work, and I hope we can continue to grow these beneficial partnerships.

This year’s corporate volunteer groups included- 2oS Systems, AES, Afton Chemical, Allianz, Atlantic Union Bank, Bank of America, Boy Scouts of America, Capital One, CarMax, CGI, Common House, Dominion Energy, Empower Brands, ERM, FCCI Group, Federal Reserve of Richmond, Glave Homes, Gray Co., Grenova Solutions, HCA, KPMG, M.E.B. Construction, McKesson, Meta, Olo, Pactive Evergreen, RVA Realty Group, Thermo Fischer PPD, Va. Urology, VDOT, and WRIC. Many of these companies sent us multiple groups, and came out more than once. We hope they will all continue to volunteer with us.

Volunteering helps us out in the Park – there is no doubt about that – and I also think it can provide a benefit to the employees and companies we work with. Here are some of the benefits of corporate volunteering for Friends of the James River Park:

• Team building: Corporate volunteering is a great way to build teamwork and camaraderie among employees. When employees work together to achieve a common goal, it helps to strengthen their relationships and create a more cohesive team.
• Employee engagement: Corporate volunteering can help to boost employee engagement and morale. When employees feel that they are making a difference in their community, it can lead to increased job satisfaction and productivity.
• Public relations: People love seeing that your company helps to keep the Park clean. When your company is associated with a popular and worthwhile cause, it can help to build goodwill and trust with potential customers and clients.

You can bring your work group or employees to the Park too! The first step is to contact us to learn more about the current volunteer opportunities. We can help you find a volunteer opportunity that is a good fit for your company’s interests and resources. You can email us at friends@jamesriverpark.org or you can fill out our contact form at jamesriverpark.org/volunteer

Once you have worked with us to find a date and volunteer opportunity that is a good fit for your company, you can organize your volunteer day for your employees. We will meet you at the selected site with all of the necessary tools. You may be asked to provide individual PPE like gloves. Volunteers should show up ready to get some work done, and to spend some time outdoors.

If your company is unable to volunteer time, you can also make a financial donation to FOJRP. We rely on donations from the community and our corporate supporters to continue to provide our services to the Park.

No matter how your company chooses to get involved, corporate volunteering is a great way to give back to the community and make a difference in the James River Park System.

See you in the Park.

-Josh