September 18, 2026 | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location:
Brucemore (A National Historic Site and Cultural Hub)
2160 Linden Dr. SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

This year’s Day of Service Project will help restore a historically significant area of the Brucemore estate known as the Servants’ Village, which has been a component of the property since the early 1900s. The landscape design for this area was developed by a student in Kirkwood Community College’s Horticulture program, creating an opportunity to bring a new landscape vision to life while preserving an important part of Brucemore’s history.

Volunteers will help transform the landscape through tree planting, the creation and planting of new garden beds, and hardscape improvements, advancing a key section of Brucemore’s Landscape Master Plan. The plan was developed following the devastating 2020 derecho, which destroyed more than 450 mature trees across the estate, as well as a recent two-year construction project that caused additional impacts to the landscape.

This is an exciting opportunity for INLA members to put their expertise and energy to work bringing a student-designed landscape to life and helping shape the next chapter of Brucemore’s historic landscape. A tour led by Brucemore staff, and opportunities to hear more about the Landscape Master Plan efforts, will be available for anyone interested.

Please enter the estate at the gate off 2160 Linden Dr. SE. Follow signage to parking at the Carriage House, located here on the map. If arriving by anything larger than a 15-passenger van, please contact [email protected] of 319-362-7375 for alternate instructions.  Lunch will be provided. Contact Heath DeYoung with any dietary requirements at [email protected].

Your business can support this event by making a donation to the event. Include the donation as part of your dues starting in July, or make a separate donation online.

If you have any questions, please contact INLA at 515.262.8323 or email [email protected].

HISTORY:

The Day of Service locations are selected by the INLA Day of Service Planning Committee and have varied by year. Past locations include the Kirkwood campus in Cedar Rapids, the Iowa State University campus in Ames, a site on Iowa government ground surrounding the State Capitol, a Habitat for Humanity community, and a Ronald McDonald House in Iowa City, to name a few. This member effort has benefited nearly a dozen locations across Iowa since its inception in 2012.

---

View the September newsletters on the newsletter archive page for photos and information about the events below.

2025

Habitat for Humanity community, Des Moines

2024

Iowa State Capitol Building Grounds, Des Moines

2023

Event Not Held

2022

Cedar Valley Arboretum, Waterloo

2021

Indian Creek Nature Center, Cedar Rapids

2020

Event Not Held

2019

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa

2018

Iowa Arboretum, Madrid –  Click here for more>>

    

2017

On With Life, Ankeny –  Click here for more>>

    

2016

Iowa Arboretum, Madrid

    

2015

Kirkwood Campus, Cedar Rapids

     

2014

Iowa State University Campus, Ames

2013

Iowa Nursery and Landscape Association office, Des Moines

2012

Iowa State Capital Fairway, Des Moines