Lend Lease, one of the world’s largest property, infrastructure and construction management firms participated in a Community Day volunteer event at Fort Dearborn Elementary School located on Chicago’s South Side. Lend Lease volunteers spent the day landscaping two plots in front of the school building. New plants, flowers and shrubs were planted, fresh mulch was put down and pavers were added to line the two areas located in front of the school.
“At Lend Lease, we believe that it’s our responsibility to deliver environmental, social, and economic value wherever we operate,” said Jeff Riemer, Executive General Manager. “Community Day’s purpose is for Lend Lease to establish lasting partnerships with the local communities in which we operate in.”
Each year in late September the USGBC’s Illinois Chapter and Green Schools invites communities to participate in school campus cleanup activities that fulfill unmet environmental needs.
Principal Roger E. Beauford said, “On behalf of Fort Dearborn School, I’d like to thank Lend Lease for the amazing project that was completed at my school. I appreciate that Lend Lease has given back to our community school. Our students and community are enjoying it! Thanks!”
In the Americas alone, over 800 Lend Lease employees participated in 54 projects that included building, gardening, cleaning and painting for facilities and organizations that benefit children, families, animals and veterans for such organizations as Columbia Manhattanville Community Center, SPCA, Habitat for Humanity, Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans Inc., San Francisco Botanical Garden and many other large and small organizations throughout the region. Also, many of these projects are focused on support for environmental initiatives, parks and community gardens.
Lend Lease Community Day is an annual event sponsored by Foundation, a Lend Lease program that encourages employees to engage and connect with the communities in which we live and work. Since the inception of Community Day in 1996, Lend Lease employees have donated over 500,000 hours worldwide to community projects.