SOLitude Lake Management Had A Banner Year of “Creating a Better World” in 2013

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Jan. 7, 2014 - PRLog -- Through its corporate volunteering and outreach program, The SOLution, SOLitude Lake Management, an industry leader in lake and pond management, fisheries management and related environmental services for the Eastern United States, announced a banner year in 2013 for volunteering, outreach, donations and partnering with key organizations who share their passion for “creating a better world.” The company recorded 798 hours of individual volunteering, donated $21,540 in cash and goods, supported over 2,225 under resourced families, recycled 15,960 pounds of paper, plastics, and cardboard, and supported over 20 causes.

During the program's second year, the SOLitude staff increased their volunteering hours by 127 percent. SOLitude also donated $5000 more in goods and services compared to 2012.

“Our goal going into 2013 was to get more people involved in the initiatives we started in 2012 and to look for opportunities to do even more for our local communities,” said Tracy King, SOLitude's Director of Marketing. “We found that the enthusiasm we cultivated last year was contagious to our vendor partners as well. We were honored to have several key partners join us and support our volunteer and outreach efforts this year.”

One of the hallmark donations of the year was the lake restoration at Camp Holiday Trails, a camp for children with special and chronic health needs, in Charlottesville, VA. This project included a coordinated effort by SOLitude, AquaMaster Fountains and Aerators and Valent Professional Products. The SOLitude team created and executed a remediation plan and coordinated the donation of a new submerged aeration system and nuisance aquatic vegetation treatments. The lake, now deemed safe for campers to use for swimming and fishing, was plagued with poor water quality and covered in an aquatic weed called watermeal. The healthy lake will now allow for the campers to enjoy all that the camp has to offer.

“[Your] restoration effort will help ensure that hundreds of kids with special needs, and those who have the honor, joy and inspiration of working with them, will benefit from the Camp Holiday Trails experience this year,” said Tina LaRoche, Executive Director of Camp Holiday Trails.

SOLitude also grew both of their holiday giving programs, Little GOBBLERS and HOLiday Cheer. The Little GOBBLERS program donated and delivered over $2600 in turkeys and grocery store gift cards to under resourced families from 10 elementary and middle schools throughout the East Coast for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Then just a few weeks later, HOLiday Cheer was spread to three “adopted” families and the children who are spending their holidays on the oncology floor at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The SOLitude team bought gifts from wish lists for the three families and over $780 in video games were donated to the B-Strong Foundation as part of a larger donation to CHOP. In addition to the gifts, clothes, accessories, toys and video games, a second donation of 38 turkeys for Christmas dinner was made to an elementary school near the company's headquarters in Virginia Beach.

The SOLution continued the tradition of supporting organizations that have similar core values for improving the world for other people and tending to our waterways and the environment. They extended a hand at clean up events to various watershed improvement groups, taught youth about fishing and ecology at The Family and Youth Casting Call and Grave’s Mountain Lodge events, sorted and organized food for the Backpack Program at the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, planted another 100 trees through the National Forest Foundation, and supported our military's injured soldiers and their families by making donations to Wounded Wear.

The SOLution is a company-wide program that encourages the company and all employees to strive to “create a better world” through volunteerism, community outreach, sustainability and environmental consciousness. SOLitude’s company leadership feels it is important to not only be good stewards of the environment and good corporate citizens, but also to fulfill company core values to “take action and be accountable” and to “protect and respect nature.” To participate or share a non-profit's goals for consideration in The SOLution, contact Tracy King at tking@solitudelake.com or visit www.solitudelakemanagement.com/solution.

Since 1998, SOLitude Lake Management has been committed to providing full service lake and pond management services that improve water quality, preserve natural resources, and reduce our environmental footprint. Our services include lake, pond and fisheries management programs, algae and aquatic weed control, installation of fountains and aeration systems, water quality testing and restoration, bathymetry, lake vegetation studies, habitat assessments and nuisance wildlife management. We are the second largest distributor of AquaMaster fountains and aerators internationally and in the U.S. Lake and pond management services are available throughout the Eastern United States. Fisheries management consulting and aquatic products are available nationwide. Learn more about SOLitude Lake Management and purchase products at www.solitudelakemanagement.com.