Briggs & Stratton sets its sights on community

Briggs & Stratton opened the call for submissions to its YOU.POWERED contest on April 12. Since then, the company has received many submissions related to outdoor power equipment being used to improve neighborhoods and communities.

The contest sought photos and stories from around the U.S. that aligned with the "YOU.POWERED." philosophy: "a belief that outdoor power equipment is only as powerful as the people using it to make a living, make a difference or make their neighborhood a better place to live."

Briggs & Stratton opened the call for submissions to its YOU.POWERED contest on April 12. Since then, the company has received many submissions related to outdoor power equipment being used to improve neighborhoods and communities.

The contest sought photos and stories from around the U.S. that aligned with the "YOU.POWERED." philosophy: "a belief that outdoor power equipment is only as powerful as the people using it to make a living, make a difference or make their neighborhood a better place to live."

"The stories we heard as part of Briggs & Stratton's YOU.POWERED. contest confirmed that there are a lot of people out there who don't need to be asked to help. They see a need and go to work to help fix it," said Steve Kruger, director of brand marketing at Briggs & Stratton. "The YOU.POWERED. contest winners come from big cities and small towns, and their stories range from major undertakings to personal missions – and each is equally inspiring."

The five winners will receive $3,000 and an OPE item from Briggs & Stratton. They are:

Cleveland, OH – Project Evergreen: Volunteers with Project Evergreen help renovate green spaces nationwide. The YOU.POWERED. entry showcased them maintaining North Carolina parks so neighborhood kids have a safe place to play and enjoy the outdoors.

Detroit, MI – Tom Nardone, Member of the Detroit Mower Gang: Abandoned parks and playgrounds around Detroit are no match for Tom and the Detroit Mower gang. Together, their volunteer work has tidied up more than 20 playgrounds.

Philadelphia, PA – Novick Family Urban Farm: Inner-city Philadelphia may seem like an odd spot for a farm, but Novick Family Urban Farm calls Philly home and grows healthy, local produce for refugees and low-income residents in the community.

Morrisville, NC – Rachel Faulkner: Out of necessity, Rachel started mowing the lawn when her husband was diagnosed with cancer. Recognizing how much this simple but powerful act could help others, she took to mowing the lawns of other cancer patients too.

Green Bay, WI – Tim: Tim is what we call a "Good Snowmaritan." He's the guy out snow blowing his neighbor's driveway and doesn't expect a thing in return. In fact, if Tim had his way, he'd be done with the driveway before his neighbor even knew it was him doing the snow blowing. Fortunately, one of his neighbors writes for the local paper. He managed to catch Tim in the act and then wrote a nice article about good neighbors.