Over 30 members of the Ver-Tex CSI team spent a day volunteering at The SPARK Center helping a much needed program
When Ver-Tex Construction Specialties, Inc. decided they wanted to give something back to the community, our Vice President, Theresa Goodwin, remembered an article recently sent to her by a childhood friend. The SPARK Center had made the front page of the Boston Globe earlier this year . The article explained that SPARK (Supporting Parents and Resilient Kids) had suffered devastating cuts, as foundations struggled with the national fiscal crisis and private donations dwindled and she wondered how Ver-Tex could make a difference.
So Ver-Tex President, John Lehan and VP, Theresa Goodwin visited the program and before the end of the meeting had found a program they knew they could help. The SPARK Center is a medically therapeutic childcare and school age facility serving children and families whose lives are affected by complex medical needs (neurological problems, failure to thrive, and HIV/AIDS); emotional and behavioral challenges related to trauma (child abuse, domestic violence, and caregiver loss and separation); and developmental delays, psychological issues, and special education needs.
Program Coordinator at SPARK
On Thursday, August 27th, more than 30 members of the Ver-Tex team arrived prepared for a hard days work at SPARK. With shovels and paint brushes in hand, they forged ahead. Not only did Ver-Tex pay for a new, installed, much needed fence to help keep the children safe, they painted over 15 rooms and hallways, provided updated, installed safe window treatments in several classrooms, new hand-motion paper towel dispensers in bathrooms, kick plates and corner guards, and even mowed the 45,000 square foot lawn, manicured the shrubs and planted some beautiful flowers and plants.
At lunch, the Ver-Tex team treated the staff from The SPARK Center to a nice barbeque out on the newly mowed lawn. There, Ver-Tex made another announcement. In addition to all of the updates provided by the company, the staff chipped in money from their own pockets to buy a new daycare-friendly educational rug, some new window treatments for some of the daycare areas, juice boxes to stock the pantry and even $3,000 to help continue to maintain the landscaping over the next year.
Dr. Vibbert held back emotions as she thanked the Ver-Tex staff for beautifying and updating the center explaining that these services provided today will help keep remaining funds available to continue to pay staff instead of worrying about overgrown grass and injuries from outdated materials.
Barbara Farrell, Program Coordinator at SPARK added: "This helps us make a fresh start during a difficult financial time. I know it sounds cliché, but words simply can not express our thanks".
Patricia Ahern, Goodwin's childhood friend and long-time SPARK supporter, was very moved by the commitment that just one business could make. "For non-profits, we just hope to find good partners in the community and Ver-Tex proved to be a GREAT partner".
For more information on The SPARK Center, please visit www.bmc.org/SPARK or you may contact the Program Coordinator, Ms. Barbara Farrell at Barbara.Farrell@bmc.org or reach her at 255 River Street, Mattapan, MA 02126 (617-534-2050).
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