Annual Group Volunteer Opportunity

'Protect Your Wild' Returning in Spring!

Great Parks will host its largest volunteer event of the year, Protect Your Wild in honor of Earth Day. Volunteers are assigned locations around Winton Lake to remove litter from one of Great Parks’ most valuable waterways. After the cleanup, participants are invited to Winton Harbor to celebrate their efforts, enjoy nature education stations and support local vendors.

In 2024, the event welcomed 149 volunteers who worked across 13 locations to remove 152 bags of trash and 62 bags of recycling - 214 bags of waste in total! Thanks to their efforts, debris that disrupted the habitat of Winton Woods' flora and fauna is cleared away. This event exemplifies the impact people can make when they work together. Though these volunteers didn’t create the trash, they contributed to the solution.

Protect Your Wild is a fantastic opportunity for coworkers and teams to come together for an impactful day of service! Teams can register to work at the same location, limit of 20 per site, or sign up individually and be assigned to different sites.

For more information, contact Joe Von Allmen, Volunteer Engagement Specialist at jvonallmen@greatparks.org or by phone at 513-245-7471.

More Ways to Connect with Great Parks

Connecting with Colleages: Fifth Third Bank

In 2024, Fifth Third Bank participated in a team building program at Winton Woods as part of a yearlong leadership initiative for new managers, supervisors and operators. While most attendees hailed from Cincinnati, others traveled from Grand Rapids, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio to connect and collaborate in person.

During a three-hour session, participants stepped out of their comfort zones, built trust and strengthened team dynamics through activities like low ropes courses, transporting “toxic waste” and other problem-solving challenges.

This year, a new group of leaders will return for an expanded six-hour experience, as “three hours was just not enough.” Great Parks' adventure team looks forward to working with these inspiring leaders once again.

For more information about team building with Great Parks, or another adventure program, contact Allison Cone, Adventure Coordinator at acone@greatparks.org or by phone at 513-521-2345.

Team Building

Available March-November

Monday-Friday

Archery

Available March-May

& Sept.-Nov., Monday-Friday

Paddlesports

Available June-September

Monday-Friday

Connecting with a Cause: Spring into Volunteerism!

Believe it or not, spring is just around the corner and new volunteer projects are set to bloom across Hamilton County! Groups looking for a bonding experience through community impact are encouraged to apply for a project today .

By completing the application, groups can be matched with a unique project tailored to their interests or learn about existing opportunities that fit their needs.

For more information, contact Joe Von Allmen, Volunteer Engagement Specialist at jvonallmen@greatparks.org or by phone at 513-245-7471.

Pictured above: volunteers from Worldpay

Connecting with Clients: Corporate Partnerships

Sponsors and Partners Help Make Holidays on the Farm a Success

Great Parks extends its gratitude to the sponsors and partners whose support was instrumental in making this year’s Holidays on the Farm a success.

Santa Photo Station Sponsor: Rumpke

Participating Sponsor and Toys for Tots Drive Partner: Group Sales, Inc.

After Record-Breaking Attendance and Support in 2024,

Date Set for Sixth Annual Root Ball

Great Parks Forever, the philanthropic partner of Great Parks, hosted its fifth annual Root Ball Friday, Oct. 11 at The Summit Hotel in Madisonville. This nature-inspired celebration saw record-breaking success thanks to unprecedented sponsorships, community support and donations for the auction and wine and spirits pull. The evening raised more than $100,000, with the total matched by the generosity of the Farmer Family Foundation.

Help us continue supporting Great Parks in 2025! Mark your calendar for Friday, Oct. 17 at the Savannah Center in West Chester for the sixth annual Root Ball.

Thank You to All 2024 Root Ball Sponsors!

Presenting Sponsor: The Oliver Family Foundation

Supporting Sponsors: Arcadis, Cincinnati Museum Center, Human Nature

Collaborating Sponsors: Adopt A Class | Beth & Bill Burwinkel, Benchmark Outdoor Outfitters, Burgess & Niple, Champlin Architecture, DWA Recreation, emersion DESIGN, Fifty West Brewing Company, Government Strategies Group, Kimley-Horn, The Kleingers Group, Bill & Caren Laverty, Lithko Contracting, Midstates Recreation, Pepper Construction, Prus Construction, Stantec, Strand Associates, trak group, Triversity Construction, Truepoint Wealth Counsel, Wegman Company | Melissa Wegman, Williams Creek Management

Table Sponsors: StrengthsBuilders LLC, Synoptek

For more information on corporate partnerships with Great Parks, contact

LeAnne Anklan, Director of Donor Engagement at lanklan@greatparks.org or by phone at 513-728-4517.

Sponsor Spotlight: Rumpke Waste & Recycling

Great Parks extends its gratitude to Rumpke for their generous support over the past year. As the Santa & Sleigh Photo Station Sponsor for the Holidays on the Farm event, Rumpke helped create a magical winter wonderland at the Winton Woods Farm & Equestrian Center. Thanks to the support of partners like Rumpke, nearly 10,000 regional community members enjoyed this festive celebration throughout the holiday season.

Interested in making a similar impact? Contact LeAnne Anklan, Director of Donor Engagement, at lanklan@greatparks.org or 513-728-4517 to learn how you or your organization can support a Great Parks event or series.