PLANTING A SEED IN SAN DIEGO

This past fall a group of volunteers and USD business students made a difference in the life of one deserving family through the SEED (Sustainable Environment Enterprise Development) Project. Formerly known as the Thanksgiving House, SEED is an annual project where students get hands-on experience managing a building project incorporating sustainable materials and design principles. The project can be either the remodel of a home for someone in need or the revitalization of a public space.

This year’s recipient was 64-year-old triathlete George "Skip" Gleavey, who is undergoing chemotherapy for stage-four lymphoma and is also paralyzed as a result of injuries sustained during a 2008 bicycling accident.

Skip lives in a two-story house and for the past year, he only had access to the living room and kitchen. The dining area of the kitchen was converted into his bedroom and houses his hospital bed, his wheelchairs, a table with his computer, and some shelving to hold his clothes and medicines. Despite his physical and housing limitations, he continues to compete in various racing events with the Challenged Athletes Foundation and maintain an incredible attitude and determination. You can read Skip’s full story here.

Reno Contracting's Project Engineer and LEED Accredited Professional, Kyle Nguyen, got involved this year by helping with the construction management aspect, doing a preliminary walk with the professor and home owners, and by also doing a Q&A class visit for the students. Over the course of two weeks, many volunteers were in and out of the Gleavey home, assigned to specific tasks but all working together with one goal in mind: to help Skip regain some independence that he lost since his accident, as well as make his life a bit easier, by renovating various areas in his home. "For Skip, the two weekends of work translates to a better future that greatly surpasses our time spent," Nguyen noted.

The project started out with a full bathroom remodel to accommodate better wheelchair access. Volunteers had to re-locate the front door, create a wheelchair accessible shower, remove a rotted hot tub deck, landscape, paint, and add & replace wheelchair ramps. A construction project is never without its challenges, however. One week before they were supposed to start, they found a bunch of mold in the house. Since Skip receives chemotherapy treatments, his immune system is less able to handle the risks associated with the bad air quality in his house. So, in addition to the planned modifications to improve Skip’s access to some basic amenities, SEED also planned to resolve the air quality problem in the house by using sustainable building practices and"green" materials. The group ended up adding a complete set of kitchen cabinets and replacing a bunch sheet rock to fix the problem.

SEED is intended to have students learn the tools and techniques for managing projects by applying these skills to a real-world project. Students enrolled in the USD Project Management course are responsible for planning and implementing the work, completing construction over the course of two consecutive weekends, and must find all of the resources themselves through donations.

Besides learning valuable project management skills while helping someone in need, students walked away with a lot more. This program planted a seed of generosity in San Diego, encouraging others to take care of their neighbors and community through using whatever talents and passions they possess.