The power of networking!

Wednesday, December 4th, 2024, at 10:00 p.m. (ET), we received a request for help with an offroad recovery in New York. The requester, Heath Sloan, submitted the following information: “I am stuck in mud and snow in a solar field on the north end of Amsterdam. None tow trucks will take the call cause I’m off-road. The service entrance to the solar field is immediately after the Speedway gas station located at 4635 NY-30, Amsterdam, NY 12010 / I’m with the vehicle“

Our administrator, David Mrak, contacted the requester and verified the contact information provided, GPS location, and current situation before sending the request to local volunteers. In this particular recovery, we contacted volunteers within a 25-mile radius.

The requester was invited by David to the chatroom (Lobby) and shared the following message: “Yeah, the front passenger tire went down mid-hub in water and lifted the back driver tire, so I’m not getting enough traction. Tried numerous tricks with adding traction and deflating the tire. It just needs that extra tug. BTW, this is the first I’ve heard of this service, and I think it’s a great thing everyone here is doing…”

Brendon Brown shared the situation with some local volunteers he knew. Shortly after, Al Hunt responded. Thanks to Brendon’s invitation, Al later became a volunteer for Offroad Portal.

A few minutes later, we received an update from Heath: “Al just showed up from down the street!!! You guys are great… the tow truck had just snatched me out when Al arrived. Looks like he left work too!!! Thanks again, David, and send me info on joining. Thanks to everyone who responded, and hats off to Al and Brendon!”

This recovery perfectly exemplifies how our system and the combined efforts of our volunteers amplify the impact of our work. A big thank you to Brendon for inviting Al, and a warm welcome to Al Hunt for joining as a new volunteer. Al jumped in right away to assist with this offroad recovery in New York—great teamwork!

If you would like to receive a text message when we get a request near you, create your account here: offroadportal.org/signup