The people at North by Northwest Landscaping were happy to help the Ronald McDonald House in Austin, Texas, as part of ServiceTitan’s Power the Nation campaign.
They were happier when the initiative became a community effort.
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Soon after starting to bring new landscaping and a fresh look to the home that gives families of seriously ill or injured children a place to stay during treatment, North by Northwest reached out to its vendors to see if they too wanted to help.
“Something that we were thinking was going to be a minor impact became much bigger with the collaboration of a network of teams,” North by Northwest Vice President Jordan Martin said. “It was pretty cool.”
The Ronald McDonald House gives families nationally and internationally a place to stay when children are going through serious illness or injury. The House in Austin is a very short walk from Dell Children’s Medical Center.
Martin guided North by Northwest through Power the Nation, a ServiceTitan initiative in which it partners with businesses to help worthy recipients.
North by Northwest re-landscaped the home, added AstroTurf play areas for the kids and their families, and designed and installed a fourth-floor roof garden.
“This is the type of project that we could not do on our own,” said Emma Bailey, Communications Director for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas. “It really makes the home even more welcoming, even more of a place of refuge and rest for these families, who are often going through the unimaginable.”
A goal brought off the shelf
Gio Alanis-Vega, Operations Director of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas, said beautifying the home was a goal for 2024 that had to be shelved because of budget restrictions.
“It goes beyond words how beautiful the space is,” Alanis-Vega said. “We are grateful they even considered us. It's kind of a miracle from heaven. I was like, somebody pinch me, because I could not believe this was going to happen.”
She pointed out that North by Northwest handled all logistics and contracting, showed up when they said they would, and got the work done on time—because those who lead, serve.
“Everybody had fun,” Martin said. “We learned things at the same time. We normally don't get to work on rooftop patios, and so we got to work on this one and the change was overwhelming.
“We're proud. It was a great experience overall.”
A huge impact, making lives better
Alanis-Vega said the Austin House will provide a home and refuge for 450 families in 2024. One family stayed for 495 days—and the improvements made their life better.
“I know the father enjoyed having one more space where he could just be somewhere that didn’t remind him of the hospital,” Alanis-Vega said.
While North by Northwest was the driving force behind the effort, Martin said support from several vendors made the process easier. Martin credited North by Northwest team member David Pereira, who initially suggested Ronald McDonald House and who came up with the idea to reach out to vendors, whose response was immediate.