GOOD NEIGHBORS
By Mick Lochridge
Everybody can see the new home under construction down the street, or the new subdivision going in across town. Those projects are typical of the work of Central Florida homebuilders, going about their day-to-day business.
Yet many of those same builders provide a less visible — but equally important — service to Central Floridians. As good neighbors, they give back to their communities through charitable projects that help those in need.
“We’ve been very fortunate to make our living in an industry where we can marshal the resources to do some good for those most vulnerable in our community,” says Jeff Schnellmann, chief operating officer for Silliman CitySide Homes (sillimanhomes.com), an
Orlando-based custom builder that often works with the Greater Orlando Builders Association (GOBA) Foundation on charitable projects.
Last year, CitySide built a home, dubbed the House of Hugs, then sold it and donated the proceeds to three charities: The Florida Hospital Foundation, The Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida and the GOBA Foundation, which is the association’s charitable arm.
“Through the generosity of our trade partners, and the hard work of our employees, we were able to donate over $100,000 to the three charities,” Schnellmann notes.
CitySide President Bill Silliman says the company has been involved in charitable projects to help children for more than 20 years, dating to the Miracle House projects in the 1990s. “These projects have been some of the most meaningful memories we have,” he says.
While other builders have also been involved in construction projects that benefit charities, many also make a difference through such causes as holiday toy drives, student scholarships and back-to-school events.
For example, David Weekley Homes (davidweekleyhomes.com) hosts an annual school-supply drive nationwide. In Orlando, donations benefitted A Gift for Teaching, an organization that provides free school supplies to teachers for their students in need, according to Laurie Wright, communications coordinator for the builder.
In addition to the efforts of individual builders, the Master Custom Builder Council (MCBC) — a selective organization of about 30 high-end custom builders — and the GOBA Foundation marshal the resources of their members to perform good deeds.
“The Master Custom Builder Council believes that part of having a successful business must include service to others,” says Pamela J. Davis, executive director for the council. “As responsible citizens of our community, it’s up to us to help those in need, so that’s what we try and do. Wherever we find a need, we try and help. It’s as simple as that.”
Those sentiments are echoed by the GOBA Foundation.
“As members of the homebuilding industry, we realize that our success isn’t solely dependent upon our own hard work and talents,” says Chassity Vega, membership and leadership services director for GOBA. “It’s also a reflection of the dynamic community in which we live and work. As the association’s charitable arm, our mission is to provide, in perpetuity, a vehicle for us to repay our community.”
The GOBA Foundation has identified children and education as key areas of interest. In 2015 alone, it gave more than $25,000 to charity and more than $10,000 in scholarships. During the holiday season, the foundation will raise money for five children’s charities at an upcoming auction. Its list of projects and accomplishments include:
• Donating more than $1 million to local children’s charities
in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.
• Awarding scholarships to students at Valencia College
and the University of Central Florida.
• Co-sponsoring with the City of Orlando an event in
the Ivey Lane neighborhood that involved free books,
free eye exams and glasses, and food from the Second
Harvest Food Bank.
• Mentoring children at Ivey Lane Elementary School.
• Partnering with the Eatonville Boys and Girls Club to
host a back-to-school event that provided supplies for
more than 300 kids.
Founded in 1988, the MCBC has also helped thousands of children through charitable contributions, says Davis.
For example, the organization started a “Helping Hands” community outreach program through which members volunteer their time to provide maintenance services on homes owned by people who are physically or financially unable to do so. “Recently we completed work at a home in Oviedo for an elderly woman with cancer,” Davis notes.
Other MCBC projects have included:
• Building 21 villas at Give Kids the World, which pro-
vides children with life-threatening illnesses and their
families free vacations in Central Florida.
• Working with Operation Finally Home and Real Radio
104.1 to build a home for a recent war veteran.
• Holding its annual Back-to-School Drive for the Children’s
Home Society of Florida, which serves children who have
been abused or neglected or are at risk.
• Hosting annual programs such as a Toy Drive and a
Mother’s Day Jewelry collection to benefit families in need.
• Working with Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health of
Florida to build a new dormitory at its Orlando facility.
• Working with the Center for Independent Living to help
build ramps for those who are disabled and housebound.
David Weekley Homes provides charitable work through its CARE program, which partners with local nonprofits. In addition to its back-to-school drive, the company’s projects include:
• Helped build a new kitchen and dining room to benefit
residents of The Russell Home for Atypical Children, a
nonprofit facility that caters to severely disabled children
in Central Florida.
• Collected kitchen supplies and household items to benefit
the soon-to-open Ronald McDonald House at Nemours
Children’s Hospital. The facility will house families who
have a child undergoing medical treatment.
• Donated nearly $4,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of
Central Florida from money collected during its Parade
of Homes.
Giving back to the community, volunteering for good causes and helping others. Those are all different ways to say the same thing: Central Florida’s homebuilders build neighborhoods and are themselves good neighbors.