Like all great ventures, the First Tuesday organization began as a simple idea. But once Stuart Gilly took a leap of faith to see it through, the grassroots project grew into an intentional way of bringing the community together through service work on the first Tuesday of every month. “We are the connection point between local companies and individuals looking to volunteer and the nonprofits that need projects done,” Gilly says.

The idea for the program, dubbed First Tuesday, came to Gilly following back-to-back mission trips in 2022. “Driving home that Sunday after the second mission trip, my heart was on fire, and my head was running with ideas,” says the founder and CEO of local small business collective, Grow with the Alliance. About one month later, the inaugural First Tuesday was held on September 6, 2022.

In the years since, the organization has worked with many local businesses to get their employees out and giving back in the local community. In addition, First Tuesday has also secured many local corporate partnerships, including Lamar Advertising, Turner Industries, WBRZ and LWCC.

“What’s cool about this is that we’ve just stayed committed to what we’re doing,” he says. “Through that intentional focus and pursuit of excellence, we take on the obstacles of getting out and volunteering, because companies want to do it, but it’s hard to do.”

One of the many projects completed by First Tuesday volunteers is the repainting of The Emerge School every July. “I remember the first time we did this; the contractor did not think we were going to be able to do it in one day and recommended the school to keep them on the schedule to do the painting the day after us,” he explains. “That was really cool to do the impossible and the unthinkable—and the next year, in addition to repainting, we power-washed and fixed up the playground equipment.”

One of the most important aspects of First Tuesday, according to Gilly, is getting volunteers connected with nonprofits to complete big and small projects, saving the nonprofits money, time and effort that could be better used serving the organizations.

“We have become local businesses’ volunteer coordinator, taking care of everything from logistical planning to providing food and supplies for each project,” he says, noting that some of the bigger projects take three to four months to plan. “By taking the obstacles that exist for our community and tackling them, we’re opening the doors for our nonprofits to better serve our city.”

For each project, from collecting cat and dog food for Companion Animal Alliance to a complete renovation of the food pantry at HOPE Ministries, First Tuesday vets the plan and ensures that volunteers have a strong understanding of what they are doing as well as who and how it will be helping.

“We are a little bit like Switzerland,” Gilly explains. “We are not for any one nonprofit, and we are not for any one company. Our job exists in the middle. There are nonprofits that need things accomplished but don’t know how, and we have volunteers who are eager to help.”

As the list of nonprofit collaborators grows, including Front Yard Bikes, St. Lillian Academy, the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and The Red Shoes, to name a few, Gilly says he is hopeful that more will begin to raise their hands and ask for help, so they can continue building that bridge of trust between for-profits and nonprofits. Through First Tuesday, his goal is to continue connecting the community and opening more eyes and hearts to the beauty of giving back.

“We live in all the hard places,” Gilly says. “And we see each of those hard and complex things as challenges to tackle and places to thrive.”

Learn more about the organization and how to get involved at firsttuesdayserves.com.