As part of this year’s NRD, RTP’s board assisted Colma homeowner Michael Lester, an elderly man who lives alone with much-needed landscaping and debris removal. Over two days in May, the board worked together to cut back nearly four feet of overgrowth, clear an entire dumpster of debris from his yard and house, and even remove 30 bags of recyclable cans, which they turned into cash for Mr. Lester.
This was RTP’s first board-led project. “I was excited about the board doing this and about introducing board members to the process who have never done this before,” said Peter Hooper, long-time RTP board member and site captain and owner of Hooper Construction & Remodeling. The project provided a unique opportunity for board members to engage with colleagues and get a feel for our work firsthand.
This project was chosen because it had a variety of tasks to engage in and did not require any repair skills, which increased the chance of a successful and satisfying outcome. “There were a couple of folks who are probably comfortable with saws, but this (project) was friendly to all skill levels, so everyone could participate,” said T. Hardy Jackson, board member and managing director of EncoreLogic LLC.