A Holiday Gift For A Special Veteran With Team Depot

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot 

This year I had the incredible opportunity to work with Team Depot for their annual Celebration of Service (COS). You may remember when I blogged about the kids workshop I hosted on Veterans Day, or the  DIY Planter Box I made to use at a home makeover for a local Veteran here in Detroit. These were some of the projects I had the chance to work on as part of the Celebration of Service movement.

Recently, Team Depot reached out and asked if I would create a custom art piece to gift to a local couple (Ken and Erin, both Veterans) for the holidays. Ken and Erin are in the process of receiving a home makeover through Team Depot, and the custom art piece was something we thought they could use in their new space. After contemplating a few different ideas, I came up with the idea of making them a Large Scale Rustic DIY Wooden American Flag.

A full tutorial on this project was shared on the blog last week. If you missed it, click here.

Over the holidays, I visited Ken in his home along with my friend Stephanie from Habitat For Humanity Oakland County, and presented him with the custom art piece. It was an honor and a joy to visit with Ken, have the opportunity to thank him for his service and talk with him about the exciting makeover about to take place inside his home. 

Working with Team Depot and getting hands-on involved in local projects to help Veterans has been an amazing experience. I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to witness what The Home Depot Foundation is doing for our Veterans and also to have the chance to get to know some of our heroes, hear their personal stories of service and thank them. 

I hope that Ken and Erin are enjoying their new Rustic DIY American Flag. I can't wait to see their home makeover with Team Depot take shape. 

If you would like more information on how you can get involved with Team Depot, please visit the Team Depot website or follow Team Depot on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. 

Online Design Services are now available. Please click here for details.

 * I acknowledge that The Home Depot Foundation is partnering with me to participate in this Celebration of Service program (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot Foundation and its non-profit partners. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

A Kids DIY Day To Honor Our Vets

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

I'd like to start today's post by saying thank you, to our Veterans for your service! And, thank you to the families of our Veterans for all you have sacrificed. 

This past weekend, I had an amazing experience hosting over 200 kids at The Home Depot in Grand Rapids, Michigan as part of the fifth annual Celebration of Service. In honor of Veterans Day, this month's Kids Workshop was dedicated to making wooden jet airplanes. In addition to the jet planes, our workshop was one of only three stores across the country where the kids made a very special custom project for a local charity that assists our veterans. 

Every month in Grand Rapids, Michigan the kids workshop is a big hit. This one, however, seemed to be extra special and drew an extra large crowd. The store employees were prepared for lots of kids and they were not disappointed. 

I arrived at 8:00 am to find project tables lined up down the main aisle as far as the eye could see, just waiting for a crowd of little Do-It-Yourselfers to arrive. It didn't take long for the store to fill, and then overfill, with little ones eager to try their hand at these special DIY projects. 

It was more than just a workshop for kids, it was a workshop for families. Moms, Dads, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles all showed up and joined in the fun. Thanking our veterans and talking about the importance of doing so to the kids was the topic of discussion throughout the workshop. My favorite part of the day was working alongside the children and hearing their stories about friends and family that have served our country.

For some of the kids, this was the first time they attended a workshop and made their own DIY project. But, many of them were DIY pros and the workshop is something they look forward to every month.  

The jet airplane project was a big hit, of course. The kids were playing with them before the paint was dry and couldn't wait to take them home. The mosaic garden stone project was a great way for the kids to express their creativity and create something special to give as opposed to keep. 

In the end, we made over 18 patriotic garden stones. Most of them will be given to Habitat For Humanity, in Kent County, Michigan for use in their Learning Garden. The Learning Garden is a place for new homeowners to learn about caring for their lawn, gardening, and landscape maintenance. A few of the stones will be going to the homes of local veterans that are currently receiving home improvement assistance from Habitat For Humanity. 

For step by step instructions on how to make these DIY Mosaic Garden Stones, please click here. It is a fantastic project for kids, especially for the upcoming gift giving season. The children that attended the workshop really enjoyed the project. For information on the monthly Kids Workshop held by The Home Depot at all store locations each month, please click here. To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation, Team Depot, The Celebration of Service Events held across the country and how you can help, please click here.

Thank you, Home Depot Store #2720 in Walker Michigan (Grand Rapids) for having me! I enjoyed co-hosting this workshop with you more than I can say. And a very special thank you to all the families that came out the workshop and made it such a huge success. 

Online Design Services are now available. Please click here for details. 

* I acknowledge that The Home Depot Foundation is partnering with me to participate in this Celebration of Service program (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot Foundation and its non-profit partners. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

Veteran Home Makeover With Team Depot

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot 

Last week I had the most amazing experience with Team Depot. We began a home makeover for a very special veteran couple that will include a new kitchen and bathroom as well as repairs and updates to the exterior of thier home. Last Thursday, we started the makeover by tackling the exterior projects including fresh paint, new chain link fencing, new outdoor lighting, cement repairs, a new concrete paver patio, a brand new privacy fence, outdoor patio furniture makeovers, new porch steps and railing as well as a few aesthetic additions. 

Before I get into all the exciting details, let me introduce our very deserving veteran, Ken…

(Ken and myself).

Ken lives in this home with his wife (who is also a veteran) and two adorable dogs. It was such a pleasure to meet him and work along side him and the Team Depot volunteer force. The day started early, we congregated outside Kens home for introductions. The entire team bonded and a sense of community was instantly in the air.

The very first project was the installation of a new flag pole followed by a dedication of the makeover and an official thank you to Ken and his wife for their service. The dedication was finished with the group joining together in The Pledge of Allegiance. And, of course the Team Depot cheer, nice and loud so the whole neighborhood knew who was in town.

It was obvious throughout the day that helping our Veterans is extremely personal to The Home Depot and it's employees (who happen to make up the Team Depot volunteer force). This is largely due to the fact that more than 35,000 of Home Depot associates have previously served or are currently serving in the U.S. Military.

Thousands of Home Depot associates spend their time off volunteering their talents as members of Team Depot in communities across the country. It was fun getting to know everyone as we worked to make improvements to the exterior of Kens home. Working together with these amazing people disguised the "work" we were doing as fun.

Not only did the projects we completed give Kens home a bright, fresh updated look, but the transformational projects helped to improve the safety and accessibility of his home for years to come.

Our team was able to complete most of the exterior work in just one day. 

Here are a few closeups of the projects we completed...

…and here are a few side by side before and after pics...

The Refreshed Garage and Brand New Privacy Fence

The Updated Front Porch, New Sidewalk and Steps, and Fresh Paint

(You may recognize the black and white tiled planter on the front porch. If you missed the post last week, this was a DIY project I made just for Ken and his wife. The full tutorial can be found here).

New Chain Link Fence

Brand New Paver Patio and Re-Finished Picnic Table

TaDa! Next it's on to the Kitchen and Bathroom where Team Depot will begin the makeover on the insde of Kens home!

Thanks for letting me share this amazing experience with you. If you would like to participate in the Celebration of Service movement, you can help to give back to our veterans by posting a selfie of you helping out our veterans with the hashtag #serviceselfie. For each service selfie shared, Team Depot will donate $1, upt to $1 million, to nonprofits that help veterans in need. 

Follow Team Depot on Facebook, Twitter andInstagram. 

Online Design Services are now available. Please click here for details. 

 * I acknowledge that The Home Depot Foundation is partnering with me to participate in this Celebration of Service program (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot Foundation and its non-profit partners. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

Let's Celebrate Our Veterans With A Service Selfie

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

I'm so excited to partner with The Home Depot again this year for the 2-015 Celebration of Service! As part of Team Depot’s fifth annual Celebration of Service campaign, Team Depot - our associate-led volunteer force will spend the next two months (between 9/10 and Veterans Day) working on transformational safety and accessibility upgrades to restore independence for our nation’s veterans – especially senior veterans and those with severe service-connected disabilities.

We invite you to join us in our efforts to help and show us how you celebrate service. Share a photo of yourself giving back in your community or honoring a service man or woman on Twitter or Instagram and use the hashtag #ServiceSelfie. 

For each #ServiceSelfie shared during Celebration of Service, Team Depot will donate $1, up to $1 million, to nonprofits that help veterans in need. Follow Team Depot on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Here are a couple of my service selfies from the past...

Safe Place Transition Center Project

Team Depot Celebration of Service 2014

To match the magnitude of this mission, we're kicking off Celebration of Service in a big way-with three days dedicated to serving veterans. During the first weekend, 1,000 volunteers will be on the ground in more than 25 cities to improve safety and accessibility for more than 100 veterans. I'm looking forward to joining them and sharpening my service selfie skills...stay tuned for lots more as I work alongside Team Depot as part of the 2015 Celebration of Service right here in the Detroit Area! More details on that to come soon!

I acknowledge that The Home Depot Foundation is partnering with me to participate in this Celebration of Service program (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot Foundation and its non-profit partners. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

Historic Building Makeover~Giving Back To Veterans

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by The Home Depot Foundation, but all opinions are my own. Please see below for additional disclosure.

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to be a part of something really cool.  A huge, vacant, historic building on Detroit's east side was transformed in one day by a sea of volunteers in orange shirts.

That in itself is exciting. But, that is not where the story ends. It's where it begins for more than 40  homeless veterans that will now call this building home. Thanks to the volunteer efforts of Team Depot, The Safe Place Transition Center in Detroit is now ready to open it's doors to welcome veterans in need of a home and assistance re-building their lives. 

Here is a look at some of the beautiful detail of this historic building…

This is what the inside of the building looked like when Team Depot arrived early in the morning (before the makeover)…

(Before)

And this is what it looked like at the end of the day...

(After)

Here is a quick video of events from this day:

In order for The Safe Place Transition Center (SPTC) to begin housing veterans, the building was in need of repairs including 18,000 square feet of paint, supplies, new appliances, doors etc. Also needed was the man power to do the work. Through Team Depot's ongoing effort to address veteran housing challenges and served those who have served us all, they were able to provide this in just one day as part of the Home Depot Foundation's Celebration of Service program.

In just two months, from 9/11 to Veterans Day, Team Depot volunteers will put their talents to work to transform 1,000 homes for veterans during the Celebration of Service Program. Thousands of The Home Depot’s store associates spend their time off volunteering as members of Team Depot in communities across the country. With the power of Team Depot volunteers, The Home Depot has transformed more than 13,000 homes for veterans.  

  

Last Thursday in Detroit at SPTC, it was more than just one home that Team Depot transformed. It was a gigantic building. The SPTC is one of the largest veteran housing facilities of it's kind. 

Also joining in the group of Team Depot volunteers that day were the members of the SPTC organization, local veterans, community representatives and local dignitaries. There were times during the day where you honestly couldn't tell there was hard work going on, because we were having so much fun working together.  

I wish you could hear the music, laughter and energy that filled this building.  Looking out the window at one point, I think I spotted some orange shirts on the basketball court.

Local veterans stopped by to show their support for the Team Depot efforts at SPTC. The SPTC will change the lives of more than 40 homeless veterans.  In addition to providing safe transitional housing, the organization also offers programs to empower veterans in a supportive environment, including financial literacy counseling, substance abuse prevention education and PTSD and anger management therapy. 

It was an amazing day that I'll never forget. This group of individuals of all ages, from all walks of life came together with one common goal, to give back to the veterans that have served all of us. 

At the end of the day after all the work was complete, everyone gathered outside to present the SPTC with a Home Depot apron signed by all the volunteers as well as a plaque dedicated to Team Depot's support for the organization. 

I'm so thankful to The Home Depot for inviting me to be a part of the Team Depot family. While I have this opportunity, I'd like to give a shout out to the Detroit area Home Depot employees. This group has a really special sense of camaraderie and pride in their work.

Looking back at these photos, I realized this was one of the best makeover's I've ever taken part in. 

Giving back to veterans is personal to The Home Depot, more than 35,000 of their associates are veterans! To learn more about Team Depot please visit the Home Depot Foundation website.  To learn more about The Safe Place Transition Center in Detroit, please click here. 

The Home Depot Foundation partnered with bloggers such as me for their Celebration of Service program. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about any product mentioned in these posts. The Home Depot Foundation believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot Foundation’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

For information on my affordable online design service please click here.