BB&T completed its annual BB&T Lighthouse community volunteer project in May to celebrate its sixth year of promoting a company-wide service effort. Across the country, BB&T has contributed more than 325,000 volunteer hours to local nonprofits, including United Way for Greater Austin.
This year, more than 50 BB&T volunteers spent two days improving the Boys and Girls Club gardens. The Boys and Girls Club serving McBee Elementary provides high quality afterschool programming to more than 130 elementary students each weekday. Through enrichment programs like the Gardening Club, students not only have a safe place to go after school, but also to deepen their understanding of concepts they learn during the school day and develop an interest in their community.
BB&T volunteers renovated the current garden area and added new resources for the Gardening Club to use in their lessons. Volunteers built a fence around the garden, added raised garden beds, created pathways around the garden, added a picnic table as a teaching space, and built and painted signs labeling the garden. The garden will be used by the Boys and Girls Club for Gardening Club lessons, outdoor science activities and as a fun activity space. The project cost $4,900, which BB&T donated. View all photos from the Lighthouse project on Flickr.
What BB&T volunteers had to say about the project:
“It was an amazing day! It’s great to see all of our BB&T associates work together for a great organization like United Way’s partner, Boys & Girls Club. We have had a lot of fun working together on the project.” Cathy Haines, Retail & Small Business Lender
“This has been a blast! It’s great to see what we started with and now see the final product. It looks pretty darn good!” George Harris, Market Leader
“BB&T was honored to partner with United Way for our 2015 Lighthouse project this year, and to partner together to complete the great beautification project with the Boys & Girls Club of Central Texas. Our Lighthouse project is always a very rewarding experience, where our associates are given time off from work to go out into the community to make them a better place to be!” Blake Absher, BB&T’s Austin President
