Boys, girls club promised volunteer help, $40,000

DPR Construction, a national technical builder, recently announced that it is sponsoring the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club with a check for $40,000 and a promise by employees to volunteer regularly during 2009.

The organization’s charitable arm, the DPR Foundation, is supporting the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club and three other nonprofit organizations nationwide as part of a companywide mission to improve the lives of underprivileged children and make a difference in the local community.

The donation will support the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club’s Power Hour tutorial program, which offers homework help and tutoring for members 6 to 18.

“The time when it hurts to give is the time when the giving is needed and respected most. It’s not these kids’ fault that the economy is bad, and they shouldn’t be the ones who suffer. That’s why we want to help,” said Steve Bartkowski, DPR business development manager and former Atlanta Falcons quarterback.

Also on hand were Garry Wohl, DPR chief financial officer and DPR Foundation board member; Andy Andres, DPR regional manager; and Brian Oliver, DPR project engineer and former Georgia Tech and NBA basketball player.

Accepting the check were Rodney Close, regional vice president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, and Bobby Dunn, executive director of the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club.

Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club is part of Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, which serves more than 17,000 youths annually by offering specialized programming and a safe haven for at-risk and underprivileged children and teens.

HomeAid Atlanta names key players for past year

Joe Daniels of Dovetail Homes has been named 2008 Builder Supporter of the Year by HomeAid Atlanta, a nonprofit organization that partners with the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association to provide transitional housing for the temporarily homeless.

Daniels, a custom home builder, has built a miniature house for HomeAid Atlanta’s Project Playhouse fund-raising event for three years and is the builder adviser for a playhouse being built by Georgia Tech students for this year’s fall event.

Parksite Inc., a national building material distributor, was named Trade Partner of the Year for support that includes donating materials for several transitional housing developments and some of the Project Playhouse houses as well as hosting a fund-raising event that benefited HomeAid Atlanta.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage was named Volunteer of the Year. The brokerage’s CARES Foundation has been a key sponsor of HomeAid Atlanta and Project Playhouse, has provided volunteers to staff the Project Playhouse Village and has partnered with HomeAid Atlanta in its Essentials for Young Lives Drive, which collects items for homeless babies.

“These awards give us the opportunity to highlight so many of the good works being done by members of the local homebuilding industry,” said DuVall Brumby, president of HomeAid Atlanta’s board of directors as he presented the awards. “We are pleased to recognize these companies for their commitment to making a difference in the lives of homeless families and individuals.”

Memory Week raises more than $4,000

During the second Memory Week at Park Springs in Stone Mountain, residents, staff and family members participated in several events that raised $4,238 to support the Alzheimer’s Association.

Memory Week offers activities designed to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s and raises funds to help find a cure for the disease.

“Alzheimer’s disease is a disorder that impacts many of our members and employees and their friends and family, and they want to do something to help,” said Cedric Ferrell, activity coordinator for Cobblestone at Park Springs, the Atlanta area’s only campus-style assisted living option.

Among the activities were a traditional bake sale, a “no bake” bake sale where members and staff could make donations, a continental breakfast and a spaghetti luncheon.

The week culminated with a 3-mile Memory Walk around the track at Chastain Park and a festival that included carriage rides, a cookout and cotton candy made by Park Springs members.

Park Springs has 398 homes that include independent residences, health care facilities and Cobblestone, a 64-suite facility that includes assisted living and skilled nursing services including secured dementia care.

Peachtree Hills Place receives award

The Georgia Urban Forest Council has given its Grand Award for Outstanding Business to Peachtree Hills Place’s Site Smart program, a four-hour certification program that trains construction superintendents and equipment operators to preserve trees during construction.

The program was developed through a partnership with the Chattahoochee Nature Center and the Georgia Forestry Commission and was piloted at Peachtree Hills Place.

The Georgia Urban Forest Council is a statewide nonprofit organization with the mission of helping communities grow healthy trees.

Peachtree Hills Place, a residential community for seniors under construction in Buckhead, has also been honored with a Keep Georgia Beautiful Award.

The developers of Peachtree Hills Place are preserving 50 percent of the trees on the 23-acre site and are deeding five acres of property to the city of Atlanta for green space and a nature trail.

Horton offers 3 options at Heron Bay golf course

D.R. Horton is offering three different product types and price points at Heron Bay Golf and Country Club in Henry County. The home builder is constructing ranch and master-on-the-main homes priced from the $180,000s at The Villas neighborhood, located along the 18th fairway of the Heron Bay golf course. Homes at The Summit neighborhood are priced from the $190,000s and include ranches and two-story homes. D.R. Horton is building its Estate Series, starting at $220,000 in the Northridge Community, located on the seventh hole of the golf course.

Located in Henry County on the banks of the Cole Reservoir, Heron Bay is a master-planned community with an 18-hole golf course, a tennis center, a three-pool aquatic center, community sports fields, a community lodge and fitness center and miles of sidewalks and nature trails. For more information, visit www.heronbayinfo.com or call 770 957-5633.

Bowen Family Homes offers low-rate program

Bowen Family Homes is offering home buyers Federal Housing Administration loans at an introductory interest rate of 2.75 percent on qualifying 30-day closings.

Qualified buyers will pay an interest rate of 2.75 percent for the first year and 3.75 percent for the second year on full-term, standard, 30-year FHA loans. The interest rate for years three-30 is 4.75 percent.

The offer is available through American Home Key Mortgage. Buyers may be responsible for some closing costs and reserves.

“The FHA insures private loans, making borrowers’ dreams come true by helping them transition to homeownership,” said Steve Palmer, chief financial officer for Bowen Family Homes. “We are thrilled to extend our low-interest rate offer so we can continue to help potential home buyers purchase their perfect home at prices they can afford.”

Bowen Family Homes has 26 single-family and townhome communities throughout metro Atlanta with prices ranging from $110,000 to the $500,000s.

For more information, call 1-877-692-6936.

Step-free ranch condos offered by Jim Chapman

Jim Chapman Communities announces The Haven at Lost Mountain, an active adult community of 20 step-free ranch condominium homes in west Cobb. The three-bedroom homes range from 1,800 square feet to 3,600 square feet and start at $190,000. The homes have cement-based siding exteriors, great rooms with fireplace, master suites with his-and-her vanities and two-car garages. For more information, call 404-277-2644.