Serving Our Local Communities: 2019 AAGD Community Service Project

This year, AAGD embarked on an ambitious project to serve our communities in need. Together with AAGD President Char McCurdy and Community Service Co-Chairs Ryan Litherland (Norman Construction) and Kourtney Miller (Century A/C), AAGD chose the city of Irving and Brighter Tomorrows as its partners for the 2019 Community Service Project. The city of Irving is very important to AAGD, as they are the second largest city by number of members – with more than 52,000 rental units throughout the city.

Brighter Tomorrows is one of the largest domestic violence and sexual assault agencies in Dallas County, providing shelter and transitional housing, as well as counselling and educational resources for victims and their families. During the 2017-2018 fiscal year, Brighter Tomorrows provided emergency shelter for 856 women and children, served 31,339 meals, responded to 7,592 hotline calls and provided crisis intervention, and assisted 358 survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in non-resident outreach counseling.

Once the project and location were finalized, AAGD members mobilized and quickly got to work. Within the first 30 days, the shelter received a new roof, a full exterior paint, new carpentry, landscaping and more. Ultimately, AAGD members donated more than $40,000 donated to the shelter in appliances, equipment and physical labor! The shelter received a number of renovations, including:

• New playground area and playroom for the children
• Exterior updates – new roof, carpentry, dumpster covers, dryer vents, etc.
• Interior and exterior “face lift” – new paint throughout the entire shelter
• New appliances – two fridges, two microwaves, two dishwashers, four A/C units, two stoves, new washers and dryers, light fixtures, hardware, etc.
• New furniture – bedroom furniture, children’s furniture, toys, lockers, etc.

The final project was completed on June 20, 2019, and AAGD hosted an appreciation breakfast at The Study USA in Irving for members who participated in the shelter renovations. Brighter Tomorrows CEO Brent Trotter, Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer and city councilmembers John Danish, Oscar Ward and Al Zapanta joined AAGD to celebrate the completion of the project.

The project would not have been possible without the support of AAGD’s owner/manager members and supplier partners. AAGD is proud to recognize the following members for their support, both financially and through physical labor:

We are so thankful for all the support for this year’s Community Service Project, and we look forward to next year’s project!

For more information about Brighter Tomorrows and how to help, contact Brent Trotter at btrotter@brightertomorrows.net or 972-262-8383.

See this article in Rooflines