Paul Davis: Bringing Teams Together to Support Hurricane Ida Victims

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida’s devastating blow to communities in Louisiana and Mississippi, Scott Brooks, Jake Wilson and Amelia Podojil sprang into action. The team organized a water donation drive to provide water to residents facing unimaginable conditions as a result of this monstrous storm.  

The team set an ambitious goal was to quickly fill one truck with 1,000 cases of water. As a result of the generosity of the Paul Davis corporate team, many Paul Davis Owners, FirstService sister Brands, and the Jacksonville Community, the team doubled its goal and delivered 2,654 cases of water to storm victims. Floor Coverings International stepped up and provided 450 cases, and Mickey McHenry of Paul Davis South Atlanta generously donated 300 cases.

As a result, hundreds of people impacted by Hurricane Ida will be able to drink, cook, and bathe with clean water.  Thank you to the Paul Davis team and everyone involved who showed what it means to #FirstServeOthers! 

The team at Paul Davis are experts at quickly mitigating the impacts of fire, floods and other disasters. In March of this year, the team worked with a beer distributor to deliver more than 1,300 cases of water to Houston-area residents impacted by the snow and ice storm. 

Paul Davis: Bringing local businesses together to assist Texas snow and ice storm victims

In the wake of the February 2021 snow and ice storm that caused extensive damage and power loss in parts of Texas, Paul Davis’ Emergency Response Coordinator Scott Brooks felt like he needed to do something to help. Upon learning many residents had to boil snow for drinking water to survive, he decided to launch a water donation drive.

Scott quickly got to work making calls to Jacksonville, Florida-area news stations, churches, grocery stores and beer distributors. Before long, he was receiving water donations from companies including Winn-Dixie. He was also able to secure donated beer trucks from Champion Brands to deliver the water.

“Many of our teams were going to Texas to assist in restoration efforts. One of our serving basics is to help those in need, so organizing a water donation drive felt like the right thing to do,” said Scott.

Scott even received help from the Cajun Navy, a non-profit group of volunteers who deploy to disaster areas throughout the southern United States, to deliver the donated water.

In all, 1373 cases of water were delivered to Houston and Houston area residents.

The donation drive is just one proof point of how Scott embodies our Social Purpose. Each year he organizes a charity golf tournament to raise money and awareness for the National Fallen Firefighters Association. The 2021 event, which is in the active planning stages now, will be scheduled for the end of August or early September and will be held at Eagle Landing in Jacksonville.

LIV North: Donates Outdated Service Vehicles to Homeless Cars

When 14 of LIV North’s service vehicles commercial lives came to an end the leadership team knew they had a useful purpose for someone.

So the leadership team at LIV North coordinated a donation to Homeless Cars, a Canadian charitable foundation that accepts used vehicles and donates the proceeds of their sale to food banks and local food shelters. 

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California Closets: Transforms a multi-use space at transitional home in Phoenix

For  individuals or families facing a domestic crisis, a next step can be terrifying. So often, people feel paralyzed, not knowing where to turn for help. That’s where Mesa, AZ-based A New Leaf’s Autumn House program comes in.

The dated multi-purpose room lacked warmth and personality before the California Closets team arrived

The California Closets team transformed a dreary space into a warm, inviting area for residents to use

Before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the country – and world – California Closets of Phoenix assisted in transforming a multi-use space at Autumn House so that it could better serve its transitional residents.

Phoenix GM Janet Hutchinson and team were converted a social room into a warm, welcoming, and peaceful place for residents to go to for social and life skills activities. This area is used for residents to receive coaching on everything from high school GEDs and college diplomas to employment, healthy lifestyles, and adult self-sufficiency.

In addition, California Closets built out a beautiful new media center where a large screen TV, books, and reference materials could be stored. Hanging barn door sliders were added to conceal the television when not in use.

Autumn House has been providing safe shelter to the community for almost 40 years and was the East Valley’s first domestic violence shelter. It operates 24/7 in a confidential location, accepting survivors all times of the year.

“We are so proud to have been a part of this amazing project,” said Janet, “and to support men and women in our community who have been affected by domestic violence.”

 Janet and her team display what it truly means to design better lives, and bring California Closet’s CREDO to life. 

TLS: Holiday “Cariboulation” Food Drive Exceeds Goals

TLS recently concluded its Caring Celebration, or “Holiday Cariboulation,” to collect food for local food banks.

The team TRIPLED its goal of donating 500 items —  collecting 2442 food items/dollar donations for local food banks. TLS generously matched that number and is donating $2,442 to a local food bank. When it came time to deliver the items, Santa himself, joined by his favorite “reindog,” helped distribute the donated food.

We’d like to thank everyone for their participation in this great cause. Now more than ever food banks need support and this is a wonderful way to #FirstServeOthers.

   

California Closets: Supporting Men of Valor and Helping Shape Better Futures

Following up on its 2018 involvement with Nashville-based Men of Valor’s Phase 1 housing build, California Closets of Tennessee recently completed the installation of 33 more closets in the Phase 2 building, Valor Ridge. This brings its total contribution to 93 new closets — with all materials and labor given free of charge. 

The new residential spaces at Valor Ridge will provide housing for participants in Men of Valor’s year-long prison aftercare and re-entry program. The recidivism rate (prisoners rearrested after release) in Tennessee is 51 percent. The recidivism rate for graduates of the Men of Valor program is less than 10 percent. 

“We are excited to continue to support the life-changing work of Men of Valor,” says CCTN Owner Kurt Schusterman. “California Closets of Tennessee is committed to looking for ways to give back to others who are making an impact in our community. Clearly, the Men of Valor team is doing just that. This was a team effort and is a great example of living out our company values.”

Additionally, Kurt and his team were thrilled to get the support of CC vendors to help make this possible, including DixiePly for wood product, Valendrawers for the drawers, Salice for the runners, and TAG hardware for poles and other hardware.

“As a faith-based nonprofit we are always grateful for donations,” said David Miller, Men of Valor’s Development Director. “We appreciate California Closets of Tennessee once again stepping forward to support our mission by donating closets for the second phase of housing at our Valor Ridge community.”

CertaPro: Company Painter Provides Food and Necessities to Those in Need in El Salvador

We love sharing stories of how our team members find their own Social Purpose.  Efrain Montoya,  a painter with CertaPro in Thousand Oaks, CA, wanted to help those in need in El Salvador. Efrain, whose brother lives there, has been collecting monetary donations here in the United States and and sending the money to his brother in El Salvador. His brother uses the money to buy groceries and other essentials for those in need. Many of the people they help are extremely impoverished, living in shacks in rural areas with no easy access or means to obtain food or other supplies.

Kudos to Efrain and his brother for identifying a way they can help people and putting together a plan to make a difference in their lives.

 Many of the supply deliveries have been recorded, and can be viewed below.

 

Declutter Your Home and Help Those in Need

Take a good look around your home. Chances are, you’ll find things you’re not using that are just taking up space. We all accumulate extra stuff over the years that we don’t need. And often these very items could be put to good use by someone who does need them.

Now is a great time to reduce clutter in your home, simplify your life, save money and give back to those in need.

What’s the best way to start your decluttering project?

Start small, beginning with one area or room at a time. It can be as simple as your junk drawer or your guest bathroom vanity.

We suggest for each room or area you plan to declutter, you begin with five  boxes (or bags). Label them as follows: Keep, Donate, Trash, Recycle, Re-locate.

An important part of your decluttering process will be collecting and relocating items you are keeping so they are kept together and in a logical place, i.e. setting up a central location for all batteries or lightbulbs. This is where your life will be simplified, and time and money will be saved. Knowing what you have on hand — and where to find it! —  will eliminate unnecessary purchases in the future.

As you go through items in your home, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is this a duplicate item? If the answer is yes, then ask if you really need duplicates of it or if you can make do with one (or two)

• Is this something I use on a frequent basis? If yes, consider whether its current storage location is convenient when you need it

• Is this something I’ve never used or worn? If yes, you probably won’t miss it so this would be a good candidate to donate

• Have I worn this in the last year? If no, let it go!

• Do I like this item or am I keeping it for sentimental reasons? If you are holding onto old wedding gifts you will never use because you feel bad letting them go, remember the person who gave them to you will never know you re-homed them

Decluttering provides many benefits, among them giving you more time in your day because when you’ve effectively decluttered your home, finding the items you are looking for becomes easier. Also, who wants to take the time to clean around knickknacks and other dust collectors? Knowing what you have on hand makes you less inclined to buy more of what you already own, helping you save money. You may also consider selling your more valuable items  such as artwork or furniture pieces through a second hand site.

What to do with items you wish to donate (or sell)

There are many non-profit organizations accepting donations for those in need. Some are even doing pickups from donors’ homes. A simple Google search should help you locate non-profits in your area.  

Another option is to post them online on sites like Freecycle, Craigslist, OfferUp, Nextdoor and Facebook Marketplace. This can be a good idea for furniture and larger items that non-profit groups may not be able to easily transport. If you have valuable furnishings or antiques, you may consider bringing them to a local consignment store to be sold.

There are so many benefits to decluttering your home, and it feels wonderful to know that your discards are going to someone who will value them.

Tidying expert Marie Kondo said it best, “ The best way to find out what we really need is to get rid of what we don’t.”

Planned Companies: Donating protective masks to community facilities

Planned Companies continues to demonstrate its commitment to protecting its own team members during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, but it’s also giving back to support communities in need. Many who are in greatest need of PPE are challenged to obtain it. This potentially life-saving equipment is in short supply in many parts of the country.

On Friday, April 24,  Planned Companies President and CEO Rob Francis presented donations of valuable protective masks to Atrium Post-Acute Care of Park Ridge and the New Jersey Veterans Home at Paramus.

Each facility received 2,000 masks.

Planned Companies has also launched an educational series designed to provide up-to-date and relevant information to help everyone through the current crisis. Click here for links to valuable resources or recorded webinars. 

   

California Closets: Oregon Team Donates 1,278 Pairs of Shoes for Soles4Soles

“Something as simple as a pair of shoes can make a big difference.”

People living in poverty want better lives but many lack opportunity. Soles4Souls turns unwanted shoes and clothing into hope, by keeping them from going to waste and putting them to good use – providing relief, creating jobs, and empowering people to break the cycle of poverty.

Oregon General Manager, Nicole Kypreos, and her team recently collected and donated 1,278 shoes during their annual Soles4Souls shoe drive, that wrapped up in January.

Shoes translate to basic essentials for families in need in the developing world. The shoes donated benefit Soles4Souls’ international micro-enterprise program, which offers a powerful and sustainable path for people to create small businesses, selling shoes to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.

The shoes donated by the Oregon team will create enough income to provide a full year of food, shelter, and education for a family in need. What a powerful way to collaborate to help design better lives.

Thank you to Nicole Kypreos and her entire team for helping to make such a positive difference in the lives of these families in need.