It Started with a Dog
When OPEI president, Kris Kiser, adopted Lucky in 2008 they quickly formed a team that would influence the way future generations interact, appreciate and are inspired by the world outside their door. Now, Lucky has passed the legacy onto Mulligan and the mission continues.
Leadership
Board of Directors
Rick Olson Chairman and Secretary/Treasurer; CEO, The Toro Company
Joe Wright Vice Chairman; President and CEO, Excel Industries
Dan Ariens Director; Chairman and CEO, Ariens Company
Bjoern Fischer Immediate Past Chairman; President, Stihl
Staff:
Kris Kiser President and CEO
Chuck Bowen Director of Communications
Suzanne Shomers Assistant Secretary/Treasurer
TurfMutt Timeline
2008
Kris Kiser adopts a rescue dog, Lucky, and is inspired to begin the TurfMutt Foundation.
2009
The TurfMutt Foundation is launched, with a science-based youth curriculum program for kids in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. schools via Weekly Reader Custom Publishing.
2009
42,000+ teachers and 800,000 elementary students were inspired by a simple message—nature starts at your back door and you could save the planet right in your backyard.
2012
Discovery Education helps TurfMutt’s youth curriculum expand by rolling out lesson plans, multimedia content and at-home activities for teachers, students and families nationwide.
2012
After a national sweepstakes, TurfMutt awards a grant to Palomar Elementary School in Chula Vista, CA, helping them to add trees and other green space to their school yard.
2012
Cloverleaf Elementary School in Statesville, NC wins the “Landscapes Across America” contest, the program’s first annual contest for students that aids schools in adding green spaces and outdoor classrooms.
2013
The program quickly begins earning kudos from teachers in schools around the country – winning praise from the well-known Sierra Club and prominent parenting blogs.
The program, via a national sweepstakes, awards a grant to Morgan Elementary, Paduah, KY, to help them spruce up their outdoor space.
2013
Government and industry agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Forest Service and the Center of Green Schools, begins partnering with the TurfMutt program and considering it an environmental education resource.
2014
Lucky the TurfMutt’s superhero status inspires kids to be backyard superheroes that engage with the environment and help take care of it. Cartoon character sidekicks – the “Outdoor Powers” -- are introduced to join Lucky to represent beneficial elements of our living landscapes.
2015
The TurfMutt program joins Scholastic Education, the leading, global education publisher for children. TurfMuttt also appears on the Lucky Dog TV show, offering landscape makeovers and tips for pet owners.
2015
Through an annual essay contest, TurfMutt awards Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh and Samuel Beck Elementary School grants to put in green space.
2016
Through an annual essay contest, TurfMutt awards two schools -- Playa Vista Elementary of Playa Vista, Calif, and Belmont Station Elementary school – grants to improve the yards and green spaces at the schools.
2017
Through an annual essay contest, Guardian Angels Catholic School, Clearwater, Fla., is awarded a grant to put in an outdoor classroom.
2017
The US Green Building Council (USGBC) selects the TurfMutt curriculum as an Education Partner for its inaugural Global Learning Lab, a clearinghouse for environmental education materials for teachers.
2017
Parade magazine features the TurfMutt program in its Earth Day issue, and TurfMutt is featured in the Wildlife Habitat Council annual calendar.
2018
TurfMutt is featured in a National Geographic book, Love Unleashed: Tales of Inspiration and the Life-Changing Power of Dogs.
2018
TurfMutt draws attention to rescue dogs and urges to “adopt don’t shop” a forever furry friend via its social media accounts and media outreach. Eleven rescue dogs find their forever home at the first inaugural Lucky’s Mutt Madness pet adoption day at GIE+EXPO in 2018.
2018
TurfMutt sponsors a new TV show, Ready, Set, Pet. Each of the 13 episodes features pet-friendly landscape tips.
2019
The TurfMutt program continues to grow, with new curriculum for grades 6-8 and a graphic novel showcasing Lucky in Scholastic’s Science World magazine. The program continues its popular “Be a Backyard Superhero” contest, granting prizes to students and teachers to create school and community green spaces.
2019
Sadly, Lucky crosses the rainbow bridge in Fall 2019 after spending a decade teaching us we can “save the planet one yard at a time.”
2019
Mulligan gets adopted during Mutt Madness!
2019
Mulligan steps in to fill Lucky’s pawprints.
2020
TurfMutt talks about how the backyard is “not canceled’ during the pandemic shutdowns and is available for stress relief, socially-distanced gatherings, and outdoor classroom activities as thousands of teachers, students, and parents scrambled to homeschool.
TurfMutt awards cash prizes to several students and teachers for their entries in its essay and art contest where they celebrate green space and suggest better ways to connect with the outdoors.
2020
TurfMutt showcases the new “backyarding” trend for this spring 2021. By now, more than 70 millions kids, families and teachers have used the TurfMutt youth education curriculum.
Present
Turfmutt’s Heroes
Meet Lucky
As the original TurfMutt, Lucky took a program that was designed to educate kids and made it possible to see backyards and urban habitats differently. Through the eyes of Lucky, we see that these living outdoor spaces have a greater purpose.
Meet Mulligan
Adopted by Foundation President Kris Kiser at Lucky’s Mutt Madness adoption event at GIE+EXPO, Mutt Mulligan has stepped into the superhero cape to become the voice for the TurfMutt Foundation and continue the decade-long landscaping loving legacy of Lucky.