Our Mission

The Shovelmen Mission Statement is as follows:

The Shovelmen LLC exists to accomplish three primary objectives:

1.  Within our Sparta Community as a non-profit community action group, we seek to connect the resource of community service hours required by various entities with the needs of public infrastructure, primarily in the Park system.  We will provide tools and guidance to those fulfilling community service requirements, and will coordinate with municipal leaders to prioritize the project and maintenance needs undertaken by the volunteers. 

2.  Through the writing and publishing of the Shovelmen book, we seek to inspire people outside our Sparta Community to "take up shovels" in their own community to do what needs doing, and to enjoy the benefits of volunteerism.  Sales of the book are an early priority of the organization to provide the most accessible and substantial early revenue source to fund what we would like to see accomplished. Other outgrowths in support of the broader community outreach are public speaking opportunities for the Shovelmen within interested communities for fee.

3.  We seek to make the bridges of Sparta a more visible and known destination for those visiting our community.  We seek to support activities which promote the visibility of Sparta and its bridges to those that would like to learn more about Sparta and the beautiful place that it is.  We seek to support those that support this vision through activities such as bridge tours, bridge festivals, children's books rooted in the subject, or anything that serves the greater good of Sparta through the central theme of the bridges