A big "thank you" goes out to all of you who volunteered on an service project through REI or one of REI's nonprofit partners in 2010. It was quite a year of giving back.

Those fun hours we spent—clipping and yanking ivy, building and maintaining trails, cleaning up parks and beaches and getting dirty on similar stewardship projects all over the country—are captured in REI's recently released 2010 stewardship report.  The report, our fifth, includes a section on the co-op's efforts to partner with nonprofits to care for the outdoor places we enjoy.

While our financial support is important, our efforts go well beyond simply writing checks to worthy causes.  REI actively partners with nonprofits to promote outdoor volunteerism around the country. Our aim: mobilize our communities to help care for trails, parks, waterways, beaches and other shared natural spaces.  

How are we doing on our volunteerism goals? The 2010 report offers some good news:

•    A fourfold increase in the number of volunteers participating in conservation projects organized by REI-funded nonprofits since 2009.

•    Volunteer hours donated by our members and community partners jumped from 663,000 in 2009 to more than 2 million last year.

To learn more about REI and volunteerism in every REI community, read the report and browse our stewardship pages. We invite you to make comments and ask questions that help us tackle the social and environmental challenges we face.  You can also find fun outings and volunteer opportunities on your local REI store events page. With your help, we can all make a difference out there.  

In our next report on the REI Blog, we'll check in on progress on REI's efforts toward operating our business more sustainably.

Photo, above: REI East Hanover, N.J., store employees with staff of the Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center in Chatham, N.J. 

Photo, below: Trail-building volunteers at the REI Tri-State service project on National Trails Day (June 4) in Peaquannock Township, N.J.