Showing gratitude with tumbler giveaways
When he opened Heartland Forest Nature Experience in 2004, Dan Bouwman drew inspiration from his granddaughter, Sydney Burciul, who lived with a rare brain disorder that made it difficult for her to experience nature. The nature reserve provides access to all ages and physical abilities. Recently, they used tumbler giveaways—similar to the Mega Vortex Tumbler—to thank the volunteers and employees who make everything possible.
An experience that’s truly for everyone
The nature reserve features trails, scenic areas and outdoor learning centers, all of which are free and open to the public.
“Our passion is all ages, all abilities,” said Executive Director Elisabeth Graham. “Whether it’s our work staff, or our programs or our facility, everything is accessible. That’s what sets us apart from other nature experiences. We’re open all year around, have over four kilometers of trails and anyone can experience them, even if they’re in a wheelchair or scooter. We even have a tree house with a 110-foot ramp.”
Heartland Forest’s accessibility also extends to its staff members. Their work experience program allows adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to gain hands-on, real-life experience in maintenance, setup and programming in a creative and safe environment.
Raising a glass with tumbler giveaways
The organization holds multiple small celebrations every year. As a recipient of a 4imprint one by one® grant, they chose to make one of their gatherings a “You are Special” celebration. Staff and volunteers received a reusable tumbler as a token of thanks.
The bottles were put out on a table with each person’s name and information—and a little something extra as well. “I like to do little tags,” Graham said. “I took a little encouraging note and tied it to [each bottle] when we put them out on the table, so they were personalized.
“We have a lot of volunteers, and a lot of amazing work experience participants and core staff,” Graham said. “And we wanted to be able to give them a little something with the Heartland Forest Nature Experience name on it to tell them ‘You’re special.’”
A note from Cheryl:
We were humbled to support Heartland Nature Forest Experience and its great work with tumbler giveaways through our one by one grant program. For more information, visit onebyone.4imprint.ca.