Sixty-three projects, 51 project leaders and over 800 volunteers would be a quick summary snapshot of what Love Oakdale looked like in the 95361 on Saturday, April 27, 2024.
The kick off rally for the annual event was hosted once again at the Oakdale Community Park bright and early Saturday morning. As T-shirts flew through the air figuratively and literally, one thing was for certain for those in attendance as well as passing by – Oakdale volunteers were ready to serve their community.
“Feeling great overall,” Love Oakdale Director, Lisa Kjeldgaard said Monday morning, after having a chance to reflect and catch her breath following the massive community effort. “This was my fourth year, obviously the biggest, by far. There’s nothing like looking out over that sea of people. I got super emotional talking to the project leaders.”
Kjeldgaard shared as her role grows as Director of the Oakdale non-profit, this year her primary job was managing the project leaders, as Savannah Sprague stepped in as the Love Oakdale, community wide volunteer day Event Chair.
Now in her fourth year of working on the volunteer day effort, Kjeldgaard shared the energy of this year’s event was definitely at a new level.
“That was definitely in large part due to Savannah and her husband Austin,” the Love Oakdale Director stated of the overall energy of the rally. “They definitely took the lead in making our presence from the stage more fun and engaging.”
New to the Event Chair position, yet not new to the event, Sprague was both thrilled by and proud of Saturday’s overall outcome.
“I love that it’s growing every year and people are starting to recognize who Love Oakdale is and want to be a part of it,” the Event Chair said. “I think that’s been our main goal this last year, has just been that recognition.”
Yet like any event of this size, it does indeed take a village, as well as a lot of pre-event planning.
“The whole organization of that morning is a huge testimony to Joanna Sanders and her organizational skills,” Kjelgaard said of the morning rally, which included check-in, sign-ups, breakfast and an opening ceremony to kick the event off in a proper fashion. “She has that rally dialed in. She has a team of 30 people that are just moving like well-oiled machines. The fact that we can get 800 people through the gate, registered and get them to all the places and have things for them to do during that time is just a huge testimony to her.”
“That energy was amazing,” Sprague agreed of the morning rally. “My favorite part this year, of being the chair, was going around to each of the projects. Going around to each of the ones within the city, it was amazing.”
With 63 total projects completed by early Saturday afternoon, Sprague as well as Kjeldgaard offered kudos to the project leaders, noting the leader team puts in many hours prior to the event as well as early that morning ensuring everything needed for a successful project is in place.
“Huge shout out to the project leaders,” Kjeldgaard said of the team. “They come to a meeting prior to the event. They’re there early day of the event. We couldn’t do that number of projects without that incredible group of people.”
From military care packages, yard clean ups, school playground make-overs to food pantries built, one would be hard pressed to turn a corner this past Saturday without crossing a Love Oakdale project.
“It was really cool to see,” Sprague said of the 63 citywide projects.
“Everybody who volunteers for Love Oakdale is special,” Kjeldgaard said. “The people who volunteer to lead the projects of Love Oakdale are an extra level of special. To be in their presence and to just feel the energy and the love for our community in that meeting is just one of my favorite things.”
