Over a span of three days, more than 25 BrightView volunteers worked to design and install a sensory and healing garden for the Denver Children’s Home (DCH), an organization that restores hope and health to traumatized children and families through a comprehensive array of therapeutic, educational, and community-based services.

The garden was previously an empty piece of land across the street from a school, but now features outdoor seating, touch-friendly plants, and designated spaces for artwork that children and staff can enjoy. DCH was looking to transform a vacant space into a relaxing and interactive environment next to an outdoor classroom. The rest, including the design and direction, was completely up to BrightView’s team.

“I have always had an interest in sensory gardens, so being able to design one and now see the resulting impact it has on these children is very rewarding,” said Leigh DuFresne, Landscape Designer at BrightView. 

DuFresne focused on including different textures and colors in the design to bring the area to life and create a unique, touchable garden.

BrightView teams from across Denver worked together to get all materials donated and split the project into three phases with each branch responsible for different steps in the process. BrightView's Denver South team did the demolition and installed boulders, Denver West installed flagstone and pathways, Denver East installed the plants and mulch, and Denver North helped with all three phases.

In total, the teams installed 10 tons of Crusher Fines Breeze, flagstone, mulch, 230 perennials, 10 trees, and 13 shrubs. The Denver East team also has added the garden to its weekly maintenance schedule.

BrightView and DCH took part in a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 12 and will work together to make sure the new garden continues to thrive and help DCH better serve children in need of assistance programs. 

“Everybody involved has been very excited to lend our expertise and to make an impact for these kids and families,” DuFresne said.

BrightView creates healing, sensory garden for Denver Children's Home, Total Landscape Care

With floodwaters rising throughout Houston from Hurricane Harvey, BrightView’s John Shollar and Juan Garcia took it upon themselves to help their community anyway they could.

Donning their BrightView safety vests, the two – joined by a few friends – went out into the flooded streets with a large, inflatable raft to help any person they came across who was trapped by the water.

“My family brought me up to help everyone,” Shollar said. “Juan is one of my crew leads and he told me he wanted to go out and volunteer the next day, so I told him I would go with him.”

Where Shollar lives had only a couple of inches of rain on the ground, so he and Garcia met at a location closer to the BrightView Katy branch, where the two work.

As the small group ventured through the neighborhoods, the water continued to rise on them. At one point, it had reached a depth to where Garcia, who nearly six feet tall, could no longer walk.

Once that happened, they two decided it was time to head back to higher ground.

It felt good to go out there. People needed help – they lost their homes, their clothes. I wasn’t affected by it like that. Every little bit helps for those in need.
- John Shollar, BrightView Production Manager

“While we were out there, we did worry about getting a cut while wading through the water because there was sewage flowing in it,” Shollar said. “When we finished, we all washed off extremely well and made sure we didn’t have any scrapes.”

All-in-all, the Shollar and Garcia rescued a family of four, a couple, and a woman with her two cats and brought them safely to dry land.

“It felt good to go out there,” Shollar said. “People needed help – they lost their homes, their clothes. I wasn’t affected by it like that. Every little bit helps for those in need.”

 BrightView team members set out with an inflatable raft to join rescue efforts and help their community anyway they could. They rescued a family of four, a couple, and a woman with her two cats.

(For the full transcript, see below.)

More than 25 volunteers from BrightView, the nation’s leading landscape services company, donated time and resources to renovate a playground for military famliies stationed at Fort Carson, a United States Army installation in El Paso County, Colo.

BrightView’s team was joined by volunteers from Balfour Beatty, service members, and their families on a Saturday morning to install 2,250 square feet of sod, 100 shrubs and perennials, and trees.

“The park was in need of significant repairs and did not provide any shade for visitors,” said Dean Laird, BrightView Account Manager for Fort Carson. “We wanted to make the park more inviting for the families to enjoy.”

The BrightView team coordinated with some of their local vendors to donate supplies needed for the project.

“It was very satisfying to see what started as an idea turn into a vision and come together with generous contributions and help from so many people working together to give back to our military community,” Laird said.

The group of volunteers and community members also applied a bed of mulch to the playground area and painted a new awning.

“We have worked here at Fort Carson for six years and I’ve never seen families use this park,” Laird said. “Our first day out after completing the project, I saw about 15 kids enjoying the playground with a few families having a barbecue under the pavillion. It’s rewarding to see the community members already enjoying their new park.”

It was very satisfying to see what started as an idea turn into a vision and come together with generous contributions and help from so many people working together to give back to our military community.
- Dean Laird, BrightView Account Manager

BrightView’s Chicago team helped to create a new place to call home for U.S. Army veteran Anthony Chobanov as part of “A Soldier’s Journey Home” (ASJH).

Spc. Chobanov volunteered to deploy in 2006 in Operation Enduring Freedom VII and was a Forward Observer while in Afghanistan. His duties consisted of bringing to arms all indirect fire assets – such as naval gunfire, mortars, and artillery – and communicating battlefield intelligence. Chobanov was also deployed from December 2007 to March 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Now at home, Chobanov suffers from Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, causing him to struggle to maintain a job outside of his home, which is when ASJH stepped in to provide the Chobanov family with a house.

Mike Morey, Account Manager at the Chicago Northwest branch, first heard of the project from a friend, a high school teacher a school partnering with ASJH for this project. As someone familiar with our company, he asked Morey if BrightView would be interested in getting involved.

“I had conversations with my boss and our team and they were all in,” Morey said.

ASJH’s mission is to find a worthy recipient who made the choice to serve their country and paid a huge price for their service. Their goal is to pull the community together to build a home for the service member and their family to flourish in.

Chobanov was chosen as the third veteran ASJH built a home for.

“We held conference calls over the winter to discuss what Tony was looking for and learned very quickly that he didn’t want a lot of tall shrubs and evergreens because, with the PTSD, he didn’t want to be scanning for threats when he comes home,” Morey said.

“It was honor to work on the home. What stuck out to me was how hard it is for veterans to acclimate back into a society they fought so hard to protect. They gave their lives, even if they didn’t die, and anything we can do to help stateside to make their lives easier is an honor.
- Mike Morey, Account Manager

Those parameters, Morey knew, would be no problem for the BrightView Design Group. The design was presented to the Chobanov family, who heartily approved, and then Morey reached out to the local nurseries and landscape suppliers to get all the needed material donated.

“Along every step of the way between last fall and now, BrightView has been supportive of taking care of Tony’s new home,” Morey said. “Over two days in May, Account Managers and Production Managers from Branch 322 finally got to execute part of the install prior to the key ceremony at the end of the month.”

BrightView’s enhancement crew wrapped up the project in early June and a service partner with BrightView provided hydro-seeding shortly after.

When things started to become challenging or expensive, Morey heard nothing but positive comments from his BrightView team members, including “It doesn’t matter because we’ll make it happen and we’ll figure it out” and “This is the right thing to do.”

The big thing Morey took away from his fellow team members was the feeling that they all needed to do something like this again with BrightView. Rumor has it that ASJH’s next project will take place in San Antonio.

“It was honor to work on the home,” Morey said. “I was really struck with how, during the entire process, people from different organizations came in from all over the country to take part in this. What stuck out to me was how hard it is for veterans to acclimate back into a society they fought so hard to protect. They gave their lives, even if they didn’t die, and anything we can do to help stateside to make their lives easier is an honor. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

Earth Day is significant in the landscape industry because it celebrates the beautiful and sustainable environments that our teams work to create every day. This year many of our teams found creative ways to engage with community partners and clients to celebrate and give back.

BrightView teams in Columbus, Ohio, partnered with Columbus State Community College (CSCC) and its Green Infrastructure Program to renovate Sharon Meadows Park. The park sits just north of CSCC’s campus and once was home to the Sharon School building that closed a decade ago. The building compacted the soil and restricted rainwater drainage, leaving behind an ugly wet area that attracted mosquitos.

After receiving complaints from the community, the parks department contacted CSCC, which immediately reached out to BrightView as a partner in the Green Infrastructure Program. The program received grants from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Ohio EPA to fund the project.

“We wanted to make certain areas of the park drier and therefore functional while turning other areas into small ponds,” said Eric Klopfer, Branch Manager at BrightView’s Columbus East branch.

BrightView first drained the area, then installed walkways, and added limestone and sitting areas.

“The students at CSCC and members of the community were very excited to transform the park so our job was to create the plan, supply the materials, and then coach the volunteers,” Klopfer said.

On Earth Day, the team joined 25 students and more than 30 community members to install 20,000 plants and turn what was once standing water into a constructed wetland and sedge meadow.

The college will be using the new space to educate students on green infrastructure and stormwater control and the Columbus public school system will use the park to educate students about plants.

Other great examples of how our teams celebrate Earth Day by sharing our knowledge and investing in our relationships with our clients and communities:

• Our team in Doral, Fla., donated more than 1,300 potted plants and herbs to The Offices at Downtown Doral for their tenants to take home on Earth Day. The herbs included cilantro, parsley, oregano, dill, thyme, mint, lemon balm, colias, pentas, and more. The Doral team also teamed up with Intercontinental at Doral Miami to plant a two-section, 20-foot-by-4-foot garden to grown herbs and vegetables from Peru, Mexico, and other countries for the chefs at Blue Matisse and NAU Lounge.
• Team members in Orange County, Calif., donated 521 plants and joined volunteers from Kiwanis Club of Lake Forest, the Lake Forest Garden Club, and the community to enhance Lake Forest Serrano Creek Park.
• BrightView in Chicago strengthened their partnership with Chicago Gateway Green and planted 70 rose bushes donated by the Chicago Flower and Garden show at the DePorter Gateway.
• In Southern California, our team stopped by Harrah’s SoCal Resort to hand out succulents to the resort’s employees and provided suggestions on how to be more sustainable at home.

At BrightView, Taking Care of our communities is a core component of our brand and something we proudly do every day. This is just a few examples of how we are applying our skills, equipment, resources, and job opportunities toward addressing economic, social, and environmental issues in our communities across the country.

(For the full transcript, see below.)

BrightView teams in Sandestin, Fla., joined the Gary Sinise Foundation and other supporters of their R.I.S.E. program Oct. 18 to dedicate a specially adapted custom smart home for U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brian Kolfage and his family. BrightView Landscape Development in Tampa teamed up with enhancement teams from our Santa Rosa and Emerald Coast branches to install an irrigation system and beautiful low-maintenance landscape for the Kolfage’s new home.

Sr. Airman Kolfage suffered catastrophic injuries on Sept. 11, 2004, when his airbase fell under rocket and mortar attack.  He lost both legs and his right arm.  He is the most severely wounded U.S. serviceman to survive his injuries. The Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence, Supporting Empowerment) program supports heroes like Kolfage by providing specially adapted custom smart homes, mobility devices, home modifications, and vehicles for them and their families.

BrightView announced its support of the Gary Sinise Foundation in September and has committed to providing low-maintenance landscapes for R.I.S.E. homes across the country. The Kolfages’ new home provides a sustainable, safe, and attractive landscape that marks BrightView’s second completed project with the Foundation.  

“Our teams were thrilled to provide a landscape and home environment that the family can enjoy for years to come,” said Todd Chesnut, Vice President and General Manager. “I had the pleasure of meeting the family and was inspired by their love and support for each other and their new home.”

BrightView Landscape Development started the project by installing the irrigation system and was later joined by BrightView Landscape Services teams to install trees, plant material, pine straw, mulch, and lay sod. Our teams worked with local suppliers to have nearly all trees and plant materials for the project donated. 

“The biggest thing for us, in addition to helping such a great cause, is seeing how our three teams pooled our resources and skills to make this happen,” said Charlie Bland, Branch Manager. “We worked together and brought our local vendors into the process to really make this a community of support.”  

BrightView will continue supporting the R.I.S.E. Program and has future projects underway in Maryland, Tennessee and Georgia.

“It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of this project,” said Michael Dozier, Southeast Region Senior Vice President. “Our teams embraced this opportunity to give back to a hero and we look forward to seeing our future projects.”

Our teams were thrilled to provide a landscape and home environment that the family can enjoy for years to come. I had the pleasure of meeting the family and was inspired by their love and support for each other and their new home.
- Todd Chesnut, BrightView Vice President and General Manager

BrightView team members in South Carolina recently held a Community Day in which volunteers helped create a new landscape for the Julie Valentine Center in Greenville, S.C.

The nonprofit center provides free confidential services to sexual assault and child abuse survivors and their families.  The center’s mission is to “stop sexual violence and child abuse and the impact of these crimes through prevention, investigation, collaboration, treatment, and advocacy.”

Scott Smith, Branch Manager at BrightView’s Greenville branch, is credited with getting the partnership with the center moving a few years ago.

The center is supported entirely by volunteers. The center honored BrightView as its Partner of the Year in 2015 and Smith wanted the branch to do something special in return.

“Scott said this year, ‘let’s pull out the stops and do something really nice for them,’” said Jeff Molizon, Account Manager for the branch. “We had one of our team members design a portion of the side of the building and once he designed it, we collaborated with (the center).”

The Julie Valentine Center approved the designs and BrightView provided team members and supplies to bring the design to life.

“The branch Account Managers and Production Managers went out there and we spent the full day ripping everything out and installing all new plant material,” Molizon said. “It was a fun project. We’ve done things out there before, but not to this scale.”

The new landscape features mostly perennial flowers and shrubs, but also includes trees, a bench, and pathway for the center’s volunteers and their clients to use.

Not only was the landscape completely rehabbed, but the Greenville team also built a custom fence for the center.

The branch Account Managers and Production Managers went out there and we spent the full day ripping everything out and installing all new plant material. It was a fun project. We’ve done things out there before, but not to this scale.

- Jeff Molizon, Account Manager

“We had guys that built that fence piece-by-piece – it was not prefabbed or anything,” Molizon said. “They designed it and put it all together.”

The center has already received positive feedback from their clients about the new landscape.  It has become an area of healing and comfort for people who may need it during the difficult times in their lives.

“It always feels good to support those in need” Molizon said. “I believe our branch is full of people who don’t  want to take all the time – we’d rather being giving back to the community and Scott is the spearhead of that. His heart is making sure we are giving back.”

Students at the Luis Munoz Marin School in Bridgeport, Conn., returned to class for the new school year with a brighter, friendlier playscape, thanks to a combined effort from BrightView, UnitedHealthcare and Groundwork Bridgeport, a nonprofit which brings about the sustained regeneration of the environment.

The school’s playground area had become dull and lackluster over the years, including an overgrown, worn-out garden space.

All that changed Aug. 30 when 30 volunteers from BrightView’s Bridgeport Team joined with dozens of volunteers from UnitedHealthcare and Groundwork to make a difference for these lucky schoolchildren.

“Painting the playground showed a real transition and dramatically changed its appearance,” said Justin Wolf, Branch Manager at BrightView. “The garden went from an unused space to a place that can bring tangible learning opportunities to students.”

Now, with the cleaner, crisper space, teachers will have the opportunity to take learning outdoors and give their students a different perspective outside of the classroom.

Along with the work to the playscape structure and the rehab of the vegetable garden, the BrightView Team also built and painted 11 benches, all made out of recycled wood, and planted perennials around the school’s entrance.

“We are committed to helping build stronger communities and helping people live healthier lives, particularly with the kids in our community by encouraging them to be active, as well as to eat healthy,” said Teresa DeNicholas, of UnitedHealthcare. “Our joint efforts will help that happen for students at the school.”

Even though UnitedHealthcare is no longer BrightView’s client locally (since moving out of its Connecticut office), that doesn’t stop partnership opportunities BrightView has teamed up with the organization several times in Bridgeport.

“We want to extend a very special thanks to Justin Wolf and his team for collaborating with us and bringing their expertise to literally transform the children’s playspace,” DeNicholas said. “We appreciate all their hard work, efforts and commitment to giving back to our local communities.”

The Marin School, which teaches pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, is the fourth school in the area that BrightView and UnitedHealthcare have volunteered at together.

“The team from (Bridgeport) stepped up once again,” Wolf said. “I couldn’t be happier to be their leader. Special thanks go out to the enhancement crew and managers for spending time to give back. It’s always great to give back to the community and be part of something bigger than any one individual can create. Having a great team makes this possible.”

Painting the playground showed a real transition and dramatically changed its appearance. The garden went from an unused space to a place that can bring tangible learning opportunities to students.
- Justin Wolf, Branch Manager at BrightView