Community Day: Toyota Material Handling volunteers bring some help to agencies

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteers Kaushik Ravishandran, left, and Austin Berend clean up yard waste at Dunn Stadium during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Toyota Material Handling organized what it said was the company’s largest organized single-day volunteer effort ever.

The company had 309 volunteers in southern Indiana and East Chicago, to serve their region by handling 29 projects for nonprofits and the disadvantaged, according to Justin Albers, company spokesman.

That topped the previous record of 24 projects set in 2022 for Toyota’s Lift The Community Day activities, Albers said.

Changes were being made at the last minute. For example, half of the crew originally assigned to upgrade recreational facilities in and around Dunn Stadium were reassigned to spruce up Owens Bend Park, he said.

According to Albers, this is the first year that Lift The Community Day has been overseen by an employee with a new job title: Corporate Social Responsibility Manager Danielle Nickerson.

“Danielle works with a subcommittee that takes input from those who need help,” Albers said. “We receive a lot of suggestions, and try to accommodate as many as possible. The sphere of service we accept has greatly expanded over time.”

Lift the Community Day was created as a way to mix management and employees together on teams with mutual goals. All Toyota office associates receive 16 hours of paid volunteer time each year, while shop associates are provided eight hours.

But the only time that office and shop personnel can be brought together without disrupting production is during the annual plant shutdown in early July, Albers said.

Product manager Bailey Brotzman says there are a lot of people on the plant floor she doesn’t typically get to talk with because she’s assigned to a desk.

“Quite often, you know a face, but not the name,” Brotzman said. “But it’s different when you get the opportunity to work side-by-side. It really promotes a spirit of teamwork and collaboration.”

“There are no titles, no hierachy on days like today,” Albers said. “Everybody is equal, each person working toward a common goal. I think there’s real beauty in that.”

Besides employees, 18 of the volunteers in south central Indiana were family members of Toyota associates, Albers said.

One true believer of the spirit of Lift the Community Day is Bill Finerty, president and CEO of Toyota Material Handling. Finerty spent a good part of his day Thursday travelling to different project locations to meet and thank the volunteers, Albers said.

“I’m proud to see so many of our associates embracing the opportunity to give back to some many wonderful organizations,” Finerty said. “We have a responsibility to contribute to society in meaningful ways. To help people carry the load. And we take that responsbility seriously.”

Pricing manager Nathan Clattin says he has seen several occasions proving that community support is not just an empty mission statement nailed to a wall.

“We are diligent about allocating time to help our communities,” Clattin said.

Beside labor, Toyota Material Handling also allocates money for good causes. The company purchased materials and built new portable shelving themselves for the Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund. A few years later, Toyota provided the Cheer Fund with a free forklift.

The company maintains corporate partnerships with the United Way, Anchor House and more, Albers said. But he says Toyota Material Handling takes special pride in working with the American Red Cross, he said.

“Any time there is any disaster relief needed, we are able to work with dealers across the country to get a needed forklift to any location in North American within hours,” he said. “We also always donate to the United Way.”

The most popular work location on Thursday appeared to be the Crump Theatre, the historic but deteriorating building first opened in 1889. It was closed down by public safety officials in 2014.

More than 60 Toyota employees accepted about two dozen chores at the Crump in another step toward restoring the theatre to an entertainment venue once again. Jessica Ely-Schnepp, volunteer lead project coordinator for the renovation of the Crump, said she has great respect for the work ethic of the Toyota employees.

“When they arrive, they are like a hurricane,” Ely-Schnepp said. “They come in and knock out these projects so fast that we have to find additional work for them to do. They are one of our favorite volunteer groups.”

The addition of East Chicago to the Lift the Community Day activities came after Toyota acquired Hoist Liftruck Mfg. LLC in 2019. Since then, the company has been rebranded Toyota Material Handling Heavy Duty. For the first time this year, 32 employees in East Chicago participated in the charitable volunteer activities.

Work sites for Lift The Community Day

Bartholomew County

— American Red Cross. Installing free smoke alarms and providing fire safety education in a pre-canvased neighborhood (8 volunteers).

— Bartholomew County Humane Society. Painting exterior doors, moving gravel and interacting with animals (13 volunteers).

— Bartholomew County Parks Department. Performing maintainance and upgrade at facility in and around Dunn Stadium. Some volunteers were sent to Owens Bend Park north of the airport to clean up the facility. (38 volunteers)

— Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District. Assisting the organization with maintenance needs and landscaping work (4 volunteers).

— Columbus Animal Care Services. Help maintain memorial gardens and dog paths, basic gardening, and assisting with general cleaning. Volunteers will also spend time with the animals (18 volunteers).

— Columbus Capital Fund/Crump Theatre. Some demolition, painting, organizing, sorting and more. (69 volunteers).

— Columbus Propeller Community Innovation Center (Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce). Build benches, painting stripes, installing signage and improving the overall exterior appearance (20 volunteers).

— Columbus Youth Camp. Trail and cabin maintenance, as well as other improvement projects (49 volunteers).

— Foundation for Youth. Prepare and stain the outside deck and organize the basement storage area (11 volunteers).

— Just Friends Adult Day Services. Organize a Independence Day-style cookout and socialize with clients. There is also deep cleaning, floor mopping and cleaning out vehicle vans owned by the organization (20 volunteers).

— ‘kidscommons’ children’s museum. Cleaning out storage units, moving some items into the units and taking others to other nonprofits (21 volunteers).

— Lincoln Central Neighborhood Family Center. Picking up litter in alleyways and streets (10 volunteers).

— Love Chapel. Packing food for mobile outreach pantries, and competing various projects in pantry and emergency shelter (19 volunteers).

— Orphan Grain Train. Assist with various project that include cleanng, sorting and organizing. Some heavy lifting may be requested (10 volunteers).

— Sans Souci. Assisting with operational based tasks such as sorting and hanging clothes, as welll as restocking the store. (57 volunteers).

— Sierra Club Winding Waters Group. Edging native plant beds and applying mulch around the Fresh Start building (3 volunteers)

— Student Fund of Hope. Clean and organize the organization’s hub in Hope. Moving furniture and assemble pieces as needed (9 volunteers).

— Thrive Alliance. Landscaping work, as well as picking up roots and rocks (9 volunteers).

— Weed Wrangle. Invasive plant removal in the area of Mill Race Park (7 volunteers).

Jackson County

— Anchor House. Stocking a food pantry, as well as providing assistance and support (28 volunteers).

— Johnson County Clothing Center (Seymour branch). Power wash the building, assemble a bicycle race, update paint on sidges and porch and install grip strip where needed (9 volunteers).

— Reins to Recovery, Inc. Various projects including cleaning, sorting and organizing. Capable volunteers may be asked to do heavy lifting (32 volunteers).

— Sweet Cheeks Diaper Pantry, Seymour. Pre-making diapers and pulling up bundles for the stock rooms (11 volunteers)

Jefferson County

Boys and Girls Club of Jefferson County. Assembly and building, painting stairwells and interacting with youth (9 volunteers).

Jennings County

— Mercy Rescue. General clean-up, shelter deep cleaning, painting hog and pig areas and removing briars. (8 volunteers)

Bartholomew, Jennings and Jackson counties

— SAWS Ramps. Build and install a new wooden wheelchair ramp at a home on Indiana Avenue in Columbus (24 volunteers).

— Turning Point Domestic Violence Services. Clean and upgrade playground area. In case of bad weather, a deep cleaning will be made of the shelter in Columbus (5 volunteers).

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteer Isaiah Couch carries a theater seat to the balcony of The Crump Theatre during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteers Peter Corney, left, Mark Horne carry theater seats to the balcony of The Crump Theatre during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteer Nathan Battin carries a theater seat to the balcony of The Crump Theatre during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteers clean the front of The Crump Theatre during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteers load tree braches into a wood chipper at Dunn Stadium during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteer Clay St. John grabs tree branches from the back of a utility vehicle to put in a wood chipper at Dunn Stadium during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Bartholomew County Park Director Rich Day, left, helps volunteer Mark Albers load a tree brach into a wood chipper at Dunn Stadium during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteers Meghan Bender, left, and Tara Holland carry a bag of trash from cleaning up the fields at Dunn Stadium during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Jessica Ely-Schnepp tells volunteers from Toyota Material Handling about the history of The Crump Theatre before they help clean the theater during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Jessica Ely-Schnepp tells volunteers from Toyota Material Handling about the history of The Crump Theatre before they help clean the theater during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteers from Toyota Material Handling tour The Crump Theatre before helping clean the theater during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteers from Toyota Material Handling tour The Crump Theatre before helping clean the theater during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteers help clean and organize The Crump Theatre during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteers help clean and organize The Crump Theatre during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteers take a water break after helping clean up the fields at Dunn Stadium during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteers from Toyota Material Handling tour The Crump Theatre before helping clean the theater during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Mike Wolanin | The Republic Volunteers Kaushik Ravishandran, left, and Austin Berend clean up yard waste at Dunn Stadium during Toyota’s 3rd annual Lift the Community Day in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, July 6, 2023.