To volunteer with Habitat for Humanity - DeKalb, go to www.dekalbhabitat.org
Arcelia Vaughn is unable to move throughout her house without assistance, so she spends most of her time indoors while people come by each morning and evening to assist her. Because of her inability to get around, Ms V., as she is known, asked for help improving the look of the exterior of her home.
Paragon Bank’s Small Business Capital Group team stepped in and granted this request, and on April 24, they spent the day working on large and small repairs through Habitat for Humanity DeKalb’s A Brush with Kindness program.
“We were looking to volunteer with a nonprofit and I suggested Habitat DeKalb,” said Eric Larson, vice president, SBA Lending of Paragon. “Habitat DeKalb works with organizations and volunteers who perform house construction and home repairs for lower-income families in the DeKalb community, and we were thrilled to partner with the organization’s worthy mission.”
A Brush with Kindness offers painting, landscaping and minor home repairs for existing homeowners in need. On Paragon’s service day, the team stripped and repainted the front porch, repaired a gate, cleaned and repainted the back patio, cleaned up the yard and planted some new flowers and plants. In addition, the team completed an extensive amount of yard work, helping to transform the appearance of the entire property.
“This is an opportunity for organizations and corporations to give back and invest in their local communities,” said Bob Boyd, executive director of Habitat DeKalb.
Through its Assisting the Community Through Service program, Paragon Bank grants 40 hours each year to all bank employees so they may volunteer their services to charitable organizations. Employees use their ACTS time during regular work hours to provide help to local and national volunteer and charitable agencies.
“Utilizing teamwork to provide assistance and to help someone who was in need in our own community resonates with Paragon’s values to invest in our local neighborhoods in every way possible,” added Larson.
The local community can also give back to Habitat DeKalb by volunteering at builds, fundraising and more.
In other news: Make-A-Wish and New South Construction unveiled a tree house on April 23 for Kayla Doss – a young girl with brain cancer, who just wanted a space of her own. The treehouse comes with escape slides, a porch and even a fairy garden beside it for Doss' eight-year-old sister. Make-A-Wish's main goal is to grant the heartfelt desires of children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 18 suffering from life-threatening medical conditions. Since 1995, the Georgia chapter has granted nearly 7,000 local wishes. Currently there are 626 eligible children with wishes in the state of Georgia, including 334 in metro Atlanta.
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