Makeover Project at Hairgrove
Your support and efforts are making a difference at Hairgrove Elementary. Calvary partners with Copperfield Church and local businesses to impact Hairgrove for good. Our participation is a part of the CFISD Adopt-A-School program. Our vision comes from the Whole and Healthy Children Initiative of Mission Houston.
Makeover Project Phase 2 (11/12/11)
Recently, more than twenty volunteers finished Phase 2 of the Hairgrove Makeover. Kathy Vosburg-Miller and her team at LandEscape Designs provided project design, build out, installation, oversight, and other resources. Jeff Chapman coordinated the volunteers who showed up from Calvary, Copperfield, and Energy Capital Credit Union. Paul Ramos volunteered a lot of time as the lead foreman and carpenter with LandEscape Designs. Dennis Eck was the key organizer for the makeover. We are so grateful to Kathy, Paul, Jeff, and Dennis for giving their expertise, resources, and coordination to the entire makeover project.
We want to say “thanks” to Principal Darynda Klein and her staff, including Terry Bell, Jennifer Burnett, and Stephanie Parker, who worked tirelessly on the project, too.
We are so proud of our youth group who labored extensively on the project. Many thanks go to all the volunteers and mentors who make a huge difference at Hairgrove.
There are several ways to measure the impact of our work at Hairgrove. First, students, teachers, and parents have commented on how beautiful their campus looks. They are so proud of the changes.
Next, students and teachers benefit from the new gardens. Children get hands-on experience and the opportunity for real-world observation. The vegetable, hummingbird, and butterfly teaching gardens are part of the CFISD optional second and third-grade science curriculum. Now, these learning opportunities are a reality for Hairgrove students.
In addition, the new picnic area gives staff, students, and families a comfortable place to eat lunch, read a book, or take shelter on sunny days when working in the garden. The walkways are set in with flagstone and really enhance the physical space at Hairgrove.
Finally, the atrium located in the center of the school that was cultivated and layered with stones, is now aesthetically pleasing for the students to walk past every day. The atrium also pays tribute to the school’s namesake, Jewel Hairgrove, and the former principal who opened the school, Nancy Sampson. The dedication statues are prominently displayed.
Another way to measure impact is by giving a dollar amount to the project. The two phases of the makeover project would be worth $25,000 at fair-market value. About $10,000 in cash was donated to the project. The rest of the project was made possible through in-kind donations and gifts. For example, most of the design, build, and installation were donated. Some of the materials and goods were secured at greatly reduced prices. The donated funds were used to purchase gravel, flagstone, plants, trees, commercial planters, edging, soil, lumber, hardware, and other items needed for the makeover. Volunteers donated thousands of dollars worth of time and energy.
Our partnership is made up of people who are being transformed and who are seeking to mobilize Christians to serve the poor, the marginalized, and those in need, to work for the common good, and to restore individuals, social systems, and communities to God’s design. The love of Jesus compels us to do what we do. What a privilege we have to make a difference in the lives of children, families, teachers, and neighborhoods.
Click here to see photos on Facebook regarding Phase 2 of the project. Click here to see pictures of the completed effort.
