LP-Newberry Log A Load Event Raises over $76,000 for Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital!

Travis Kangas, Resource Manager at Louisiana-Pacific (LP) in Newberry, MI, wanted to give back to the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. He started planning a Log A Load event in 2019, but due to COVID, plans were put on hold. Thankfully, Travis was able to start the planning back up, and held a well-attended community Log A Load event in May of 2022.

LP-Newberry donated funds from the 1,704.82 tons of fiber that they harvested. In addition, local trucking partners hauled and delivered the materials to area mills, free of charge, to help ensure that all funds would support CMN Hospitals. The event raised a total of $76,468.01!

Travis also applied for, and received, a Michigan DNR Wheels to Woods Program grant. This grant provided over 100 students and teachers from the Tahquamenon Area School District the opportunity to visit for a mill and timber harvesting tour. Students also used The Ponsee North America Simulator, a close to life simulation of a forest machine environment. This tour was a great event that explained the importance of conservation.

A special thank you to everyone who helped make this event such a success: Arauco, Beacom Enterprises, Biz E Rentals, Cutting Edge Forest Products, David Nayback Trucking, Elenz, Inc., Great Lakes Timber Professional Association, Grossman Forestry Company, Kevin St. Onge, LP Newberry, LP Sagola, MI – Stems, Michigan Association of Timberman, Michigan DNR Wheels to Woods Program, Nathan Hubbard Transport, Northland Harvesting, Ponsee North America, Potlatch Deltic, Tahquamenon Area School District, Travis Kangas.

This gift benefits the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Annual Fund, which sustains over 20 programs and services that rely on philanthropic funding to continue. These programs, including the Center for Child Protection, NICU family support, and child and family life, would not be available without their generosity.

Log A Load for Kids is an annual campaign that began in 1988 when loggers and others in the forest products community donated the value of a load of logs to their local CMN Hospital. Today, Log A Load is a leader in CMN Hospitals’ fundraising. This campaign raises more than $2 million annually through golf tournaments, fishing events, dinners, truckloads of log donations and other events.