Volunteering and Philanthropy: April 2007 Archives
A group of KPMG employees and partners got together on Saturday to help make the Hunter’s Point home of Mrs. Edwards a brighter place to live. This effort was part of the Rebuilding Together project. When we arrived, we found a garage full of unwanted furniture, trash, and countless other items. The back yard was so over-grown it could not be walked through, and the house was barely accessible due to piles of recycling, more trash, and more unwanted miscellaneous things.
Over the course of about 6 hours, we transformed the place into a nice cozy home for the elderly Mrs. Edwards. We cleared all the trash out of the garage and house so that she could actually use the space, created a peaceful sitting area and flower garden in the backyard, and re-painted her bedroom (very bright pink)!
I was on the back yard crew – in charge of flower placement. Our team trimmed the large pine tree back so that the sidewalk was usable, created planter boxes from half wine barrels, and set up a few benches and a table in the sun. We planted a little garden outlined by decorative rocks, and even cleaned the gutters. When Mrs. Edwards came out and saw her new back yard, she was speechless. She was amazed at how nice we had made it look, and very grateful. I felt like Ty Pennington for a second – ok well maybe one of the members of the design team.
Heads up! I'll be participating in the Avon Walk for a Cure on July 7 & 8. I will be raising $1800 for Breast Cancer Research, and walking almost 40 miles to support a cure! I'll be sending out an e-mail to my friends, family, and co-workers soon with details on how to support this excellent cause and help me reach my goal. If anyone is interested in participating, please let me know and you can join our team!
