SANTA ANA, CA - Volunteers from Irvine, California-based KTGY Group, Inc. Architecture and Planning wielded paint brushes, including the design and painting of a 24 ft. wide jungle-themed mural, cleaned toys, trimmed hedges and did other assorted tasks this past Saturday at the Blind Children's Learning Center (BCLC), located at 18542-B Vanderlip Ave. in Santa Ana.
The volunteer project was undertaken to mark the award-winning firm’s 20th anniversary. A total of more than 80 employees and family members participated in the beautification effort.
“We wanted to mark this special 20th anniversary by giving back to the local community,” said KTGY Group’s CEO Tricia Esser. “I was blown away by how many of our employees and their families turned out. Almost everyone in our Irvine office and also a large portion of our Santa Monica office came out to help the Blind Children’s Learning Center.”
“Community has been part of the KTGY culture since the early days of our founding,” said the company ‘s Chairman Stan Braden. “Professionally we plan and design communities. Getting to take a tour ‘as a blind person’ opened our eyes to this special community and helped us better understand how our painting vibrant colors not only enhances their environment, but serves as a guide to the partially sighted children and their sighted mentors.”
“When you are at work, you are focused on that,” said KTGY partner Chris Texter. “This volunteer project gave us the opportunity to get to know each other more personally and to meet each other’s family members. KTGY has grown recently, and this has been a fantastic way to get to know some of our newer employees.”
”For nearly 50 years, BCLC has been providing services to children ranging from blind infants through students in high school. BCLC staff and programs have a positive impact on the life of the blind, visually impaired and deaf/blind youth.
“We are grateful to KTGY Group for volunteering their time, talent and energy to help us improve our facilities for the children we serve,” said Kim Neuhauser, PhD, BCLC president and executive director.
“Volunteers have a direct, positive impact on these children, on their parents and on our donors,” she said. “We take pride in our school grounds because we believe it is an outward reflection of the quality of services we provide. KTGY employees and families boosted the vibrancy of our play areas, teaching rooms, and community gathering space and brighten the lives of our BCLC families. These volunteers also experienced a blindfold tour that helps sighted persons better understand the challenges and obstacles our children face every day.”
“We thank OneOC for coordinating the project and connecting us with KTGY,” concluded Neuhauser.
OneOC, formerly Volunteer Center Orange County, is committed to accelerating nonprofit success through volunteer, training, consulting and business services and was retained by KTGY to manage this employee volunteer project.
Blind Children's Learning Center, a non-profit agency, was founded in 1962 by six blind adults originally called "Services for the Blind Orange County" to provide support for blind individuals. The founders quickly discovered the key to helping visually impaired children was to start working with them at a very early age. Today the agency provides specialized services for infants to 21-year-olds, with the mission to provide early intervention, education and services for blind, visually impaired or deaf-blind children and their families to empower independence.
OneOC, formerly Volunteer Center Orange County, is a nonprofit 501c3 organization committed to accelerating nonprofit success through volunteer, training, consulting and business services. Serving Orange County, California, OneOC provides support and solutions to more than 650 nonprofit organizations and community initiatives each year. Building on a 52-year history of mobilizing volunteer action, the organization announced its new name on September 15, 2010 to signal the expansion of its integrated service offerings to help nonprofits become as effective and efficient about their mission as they are passionate. OneOC is affiliated with Points of Lights Institute and HandsOn Network, enabling participation in national community service initiatives and connection to a larger movement of change.
Established in 1991, KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture + Planning, provides comprehensive planning and award-winning architectural design services for residential communities, retail, hospitality, mixed-use and related specialty developments. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflect clear understanding of development, marketing and financial performance and takes particular pride in its highly motivated and principal led studios. Serving clients worldwide, KTGY maintains offices in Irvine, Oakland and Santa Monica, Calif., Denver, Colo., and Tysons Corner, Va.