Rainbow Treecare - Tree and lawn care service - Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnesota

Rainbow People Care – in Many Ways

Ask the folks here at Rainbow Treecare Companies why they give blood, serve a meal at the Ronald McDonald House, or donate used clothing to those in need -- and you'll get variations of the same answer: "Because it's the right thing to do."

It seems that all it takes is for one person to float out an idea, and people sign up to take part. For example, the impetus for the Blood Drive came from several people talking about how they might help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. While Memorial Blood Centers announced that blood donations weren't being accepted in New Orleans at that time, it was too good of an idea to drop altogether.

Knowing that blood supplies are always critical, we arranged to have the “blood mobile” park outside our back door. Our employees and management lined up to give. Field coordinator Nathan Johnson said that he gives because a blood transfusion once saved a family member's life. Simply wanting to help another person in need, maybe even save a life, is why commercial Arborist Nate Pischke signs up. When they’re parked just a few feet from his desk, crew scheduler Don Meissner said that he couldn’t find any good reasons NOT to donate.

For the future, our Rainbow staff intends to have the blood mobile back three or four times each year.

On another community outreach note -- “Spending an evening serving dinner at the Ronald McDonald House helps put life in perspective,” according to Stacy Galvin of the PestExperts division. "My life is good right now, but I know I'd appreciate it if I were in their position”, commented office manager Judy Smith.

So one rainy Friday evening in May, about 15 Rainbow employees and family members bought, prepared, and served dinner to several families at the “House”. It was fun and lively. A place like the Ronald McDonald House is inspiring. The fact that families, and especially kids, are being so well-taken care of there makes it a joy to help out. We'll do it again.

When the clothing drive was suggested, closets were cleaned out and over 30 bags and boxes of usable clothes were delivered to Arc (a metro-wide charity) of New Hope. We have found that sharing in these kinds of experiences makes us feel like we're more than just co-workers -- we're friends. Win-Win!

An old Irish proverb says: "It is in the shelter of each other that the people live."

Makes sense to us.