SYNLawn Carolina Donates Artificial Turf to Native American Community
Cherokee, NC Corporate social responsibility is important to SYNLawn, and our network of distributors across the country understand the value of giving back to their communities. Four years ago, SYNLawn Carolina (also known as Southeast Turf LLC) began donating unused pieces of artificial turf from completed jobs to Living Waters Lutheran Church. The ministry serves hundreds of families who reside on the Qualla Boundary, which is home to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Helping Families by Repurposing Turf
Scott Marks, the owner of SYNLawn Carolina/Southeast Turf, was inspired by his father to start the turf donation program four years ago to help the families from Living Waters Lutheran Church. His father’s church already had a donation program benefiting Living Waters Lutheran Church, and he thought the Native American Community could find ways to repurpose leftover turf from his landscaping installation projects. His father started making the 3½ hour trip with his church friends every few months to deliver the donated material in a 20-foot trailer. He was also responsible for sorting, saving, and loading the turf onto the trailer. The community recognized Scott’s father by gifting him with a blanket specifically made for him.
Last year Scott and his wife, Marie, decided to make the journey to deliver the donations themselves since his father could not travel due to his health. They met with the church community and heard first-hand how they’ve creatively repurposed the donated artificial grass into carpet, insulation, flooring, decks, floors, blankets, and even mats for sleeping on. Scott and Marie had no idea how great of an impact these items had on the entire Native American Community.
Scott encourages his fellow SYNLawn distributors to think about how a small idea could impact people’s lives in their communities. He said, “A simple idea turned into truly a labor of love and a tradition that we plan to continue.”
Supporting Sustainability with Donations
In addition to helping the families at Living Waters Lutheran Church, SYNLawn Carolina’s donations also keep unused pieces of turf from ending up in a remnant pile or a landfill. Sustainability is a key priority for SYNLawn. By using more renewable components in turf, it is easily repurposed for other uses. Watch this video to learn more about SYNLawn’s commitment to sustainability.
Helping Communities Through Philanthropy
Philanthropy is a cornerstone of SYNLawn’s values. Our distributor teams across the country give back to their communities through charitable endeavors that align with our mission to improve the world through synthetic turf.