This year (on July 5, 2011) will be the second annual Starbucks volunteer event to clean up Gas Works Park in Seattle. As most Seattleites know, every July 4th, thousands of people crowd into Gas Works Park in Seattle for a good a view of fireworks over Lake Union. And on July 5th, they’ve left a bit of a mess. Starbucks is looking for help for the clean up day. Go to the official Starbucks link about this event here:
http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/community/community-service/seattle-july-5
They sent an email which looked like this:
As is tradition, there should be a t-shirt for the event too. Last year, the t-shirt was heather gray and looked like this:
By the way, I didn’t go volunteer last year in the clean up, but I wish that I had. I am trying to take some time off so that I can help out, but it’s a Tuesday, and I don’t know yet if I can attend. The t-shirt in this blog post was a gift from a partner at the Holman Road Starbucks in Seattle. I don’t visit that store very often, and I have no idea the name of the partner who gave it to me. I was just dropping by, and I was standing at the drink pick up area and started to make small talk with the barista at the Mastrena, as I waited for my beverage. It was fairly late in the day, and I recall that it was quiet. I told the barista that I had a blog about Starbucks, and he seemed genuinely interested. He asked me what sort of things I write about. The visit to Holman Road Starbucks was shortly after this blog article here:
Fourteen T-shirts Tell Their Stories
And so I mentioned that I had just written a blog post about Starbucks t-shirts. This barista at the Mastrena said, ‘Oh I have an extra t-shirt in the back you might like.’ He was so amazing! In a flash he came back with this 2010 Gas Works clean up t-shirt, and he gave it to me! I was so flattered. Thank you Holman Road Starbucks.
So I wish everyone lots of fun and good weather for the clean up on July 5, 2011. Come volunteer!
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Well, I won’t be there but it is a nice thing. and I love the t-shirt, very cool design.
I wish everyone good weather too……seems like most of the country has been in some kind of tragedy for most of the spring. (I guess now we’re in ‘summer’)
@Melody: these threads are moving fast!!!! 🙂
@Denise – yesterday’s thread was so not-talented advertising disappointment, that I had to put up a new one right away. And now is the time to get the word out about this community service event. I was very tempted to de-publish Mr. Whiskers. The more I watched him, the more I couldn’t believe that that could ever be a good Frappuccino ad. It was just two thumbs down.
That’s a great community service project idea. Every city could do this.
The Starbucks involvement in projects like these, is another reason why this is such a great company to be a fan of!! 🙂
Hope everyone also has a safe and fun holiday coming up!
@Melody…I don’t know that I would ‘de-publish’ Mr. Whiskers….but THANK YOU for posting something else!! I don’t think we could have discussed Mr. Whiskers for that long! 🙂
Nice tee shirt. No volunteer projects from SB around here or at least posted in the store.
My local Starbucks does get involved in some things in the community, which is nice. They often collect school supplies. They collect and send coffee to the troops a year or two ago. They have done dog washes, and some other beautification projects.
It’s a very good event.
And Starbucks and Microsoft which saved those fireworks from the cancellation are great. Of course the cooperation of people loving Seattle is great.
I want to join clean improving Gas Works Park if possible, first I must become well.
@Melody: I agree about the stupid ‘cat-frapp-ad’. It should go.
She did it!! She really pulled Mr. Whiskers….it was like a dream in the night now! 😉
This is such a great project. I really like how Starbucks is so involved in the community in Seattle. Is it like that everywhere else in the US, too?
@Kaori – Thank you for saying that. This thread got almost no RTs, and almost no visibility, but’s actually really an important community service project! Gas Works Park in Seattle is a big park, and after Fourth of July there is a lot of clean up to do. And since the 5th is in the middle of the work week, it will be even harder to get volunteers! They need to the volunteers so I want to spread the word!
It seems like Starbucks is so much more active in volunteer opportunities than in my area – bummer. I wish they did stuff like that on the Monterey Peninsula. I did have a question on the Mr. Whiskers ad: WHERE did that come from? It looked like they threw in the Frapp-advertisement at the end. Oddly amusing, or amusingly odd – however you want to view it.
Hi Nancy! Welcome to the blog! I think there can be lots of Starbucks community service projects everywhere, but far away from the headquarters it takes partners who want to organize it, often through Starbucks’ Make Your Mark prorgam.
The Mr. Whisker’s commercial was a roottopcomedy.com production – A small San Francisco company.
Sorry I’m not in Seattle! I would definitely help out! 🙂
1. testing something out for melody. hopefully it works?
2. not sure yet if i will be available on the 5th, it depends on so many many things going on up here right now. i got the email though, so we will see!
yep, still no go whatsoever. will see if any of my tweeps can get it to work on my blog. so weird.
I think the advantage of living in a large metropolitan area like Seattle is that there are more volunteer opportunities (besides the proximity to the Starbucks Center). I agree with Hayley that every city should offer a similar type of volunteer activity, but I would like to answer Kaori’s inquiry (as to Starbuck’s involvement in other parts of the US). In my area, the economic downturn and the crime rate put somewhat of a damper on volunteer activities, it would seem. And with California being $60 billion in debt, most are just trying to get by — even the baristas. Seattle is better off.
I think it’s awesome that Starbucks would host something like this. I’m surprised so many people are able to take off work, etc, in order to participate. Hopefully you get to go!