Six Reasons Spring Is the Perfect Time to Stride to Serve

Spring in the Twin Cities makes you want to get outside. With warmth and green, spring has a way of making us want to move — and connect.

At Stride to Serve, we think that instinct is worth acting on. Here are five reasons why spring is the best time to join us.

1. Your body is ready to move again.

After a long Minnesota winter, getting outside isn’t just nice — it’s genuinely restorative. Research shows that outdoor physical activity in natural settings reduces cortisol (the stress hormone) more than indoor exercise. Being outside in spring, when everything is blooming, is good medicine. And you don’t have to be fast or go far to feel it. But it’s hard to break out of the winter hibernation and start new habits - we’re here to help!

2. The volunteer need picks up in spring.

Spring is actually one of the busiest seasons for community organizations. Parks need trail clean-ups after winter damage. Community gardens are prepping for the growing season. Food shelves see increased demand as school meal programs wind down. Your two hours of effort this weekend plugs into real, timely need — and the impact is visible almost immediately. By working with the City of Minnetonka, Carver County and more, we help make our outdoors more attractive for everyone.

3. The days are long — use them.

By late spring in the Twin Cities, we’re getting close to 15 hours of daylight. That’s a gift. There’s no scrambling to beat the sunset, no bundling up, no excuses. You can join a late-afternoon event and still have a full evening ahead of you. Long days have a way of making everything feel more possible — including showing up for your community. You can finish a cleanup of our trail at the Landscape Arb and still have time for dinner outside in the sun!

4. Kids are out of school — this is for them too.

Summer break means kids have time on their hands, and parents are looking for something meaningful to fill it with. Stride to Serve events are a great fit for both. Students get real volunteer experience that looks great on applications, builds genuine empathy, and gets them off their screens and moving. Parents get to model what it looks like to show up for a community — side by side with their kids, doing something that actually matters. It’s one of those rare activities the whole family can feel good about. We’re working with Minnetonka Schools to make volunteering and activity easy for families and students.

5. You’ll feel it when you leave.

This is the one we hear most from participants: they didn’t expect to feel that good afterward. The combination of movement, fresh air, community, and having made a tangible contribution to something bigger than yourself — it adds up. People leave our events with more energy than they arrived with. That’s not a coincidence. It’s the whole point.

6. Side-by-side is the easiest way to connect.

Connecting and making friends can be hard. Walking and working side-by-side with someone — moving together toward a shared purpose — is one of the most natural ways humans bond. You're not networking. You're not making awkward small talk at a party. You're doing something together, which is where real connection happens. It’s what we call no-pressure connection. Spring events are a great entry point. And you’ll have a whole summer and fall of events to connect again!

Spring in the great north is short and precious. Don’t let it slip by without doing something that matters — for your body, your community, and yourself.

Come stride with us. Check out our upcoming events and join us this spring.

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Spring hadn’t quite sprung at our April 18 event!