For their spring Packers Give Back day, staff from the Green Bay Packers participated in the annual Fox-Wolf Watershed Cleanup.
What is the best gift a Packers fan can give to the next generation?
Some might argue it’s to add their infant relatives to the infamously long waiting list for season tickets. Or to include the next generation in their will, handing off their own season tickets.
But there are more people on the waiting list than there are residents of Green Bay, and it can take over 50 years for your number to be called.
So what else can football fans leave for the next generation? The over 550 people who work for the Packers organization have lots of ideas.
The winning entry for ‘smallest piece of garbage picked up.’
Twice a year, those ideas become reality through Packers Give Back volunteer days. This spring, they selected the annual Fox-Wolf Watershed Cleanup as one of their staff volunteer day options.
“Fox-Wolf popped up on my radar for the last three years through the Volunteer Center of Brown County,” said Amanda Wery, Community Outreach Manager. When she realized that the Packers have also been sponsoring the cleanup since its beginning, it seemed like a natural fit.
“For us, being community owned, it’s a major way to give back,” Amanda said. “It’s part of our backbone and who we are as a team.”
A group of staff from across departments joined at a trail in Brown County to pick up trash and debris from the edge of the Fox River. “It was a great event, and the staff really enjoyed it,” said Amanda. “Whoever comes out for Give Back Days tends to be competitive. We split into two groups to see who could fill the most bags of trash, find the tiniest trash, the largest piece, and so on.”
Their efforts paid off, and their team of picked up 228 pounds of trash in just three hours.
The Packers organization is mindful of how much they are impacted by water. “It’s part of a little bit of everything,” Amanda said, “even watering the field the players play on. It’s the water we drink. It washes the hands of our fans. It’s the snow that falls and we have to shovel the bleachers.”
Water matters to the team, and it matters to our community. “Fans are community-based too,” Amanda said, “and they notice things on our website. Hopefully someone sees the Packers did something, and they decide to do it too. Because it’s not just for us. It’s for the generations to come. It’s about leaving it for the next fan.”
When you support Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, you’re investing in a better future. Clean water for you, for your business and your family, and for the next generation of fans (who may still be waiting for their season tickets).
Watershed Moments is a publication of Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, sharing the stories of how your donations have impacted lives in our community. Read our latest project updates, make a secure online donation, or become a member at www.fwwa.org
