BY KARISSA MILLER

Doosan Bobcat employees, dressed in jeans and gardening gloves, spent time volunteering at Rescue Ranch on Tuesday morning as part of a company-wide community service initiative.

A team of 20 Bobcat employees supported the nonprofit by helping with various clean-up, maintenance and on-site projects, including mulching, building a larger tortoise enclosure, pruning the crepe myrtles and pulling weeds in various landscaped areas.

Christina Redfearn, a senior commodity leader for Doosan Bobcat, said the project provided a nice break from the daily routine.

“This way we are giving back to the community,” she said.

Volunteer Matt Clevenger, part of the manufacturing engineer cooperative, said that he likes animals and enjoys volunteering for a nonprofit organization like Rescue Ranch.

“These animals have a rough background. Rescue Ranch does a lot for these animals and helping them is helping everything,” Clevenger said. “I also have a tortoise at home. So I’m really glad that I got to work on the tortoise enclosure.”

Michelle Hepler, executive director of Rescue Ranch, said that Doosan employees volunteered last year for a full day of service and the fact that they have come back this year “speaks to their dedication to the community and their causes as well.”

Hepler expressed her gratitude to Doosan employees for their hard work Tuesday.

“We don’t have a full-time maintenance person on staff. We have 87 acres to take care of, and we cannot do it without the help of our volunteers. These corporate business groups and community impact days are critical for us to maintain our property. We’re incredibly thankful for their help,” she said.

Rescue Ranch is preparing for a summer full of educational programs and summer camps for children. They already hosted their first full week of Critter Camp, which will continue to run throughout the summer.

About Doosan Days of Community Service

Doosan Days of Community Service is a companywide volunteer effort aimed at giving back to the communities where Bobcat employees live and work. Bobcat operates a manufacturing facility in Statesville where portable power, compact tractors, mini track loaders and other compact equipment is manufactured and assembled.

Over the course of two weeks this month, nearly 300 Bobcat employees in North America will volunteer their time and talents to community efforts, supporting dozens of nonprofit organizations in North Carolina, North Dakota, Georgia, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Additionally, within the Statesville area, Bobcat employees will dedicate their time with Yokefellow, Storehouse for Jesus and the City of Statesville.

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