Sporting fresh paint, an updated teen center, and new garden and kitchen features to support farm-to-table cooking classes, the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club in Metropolitan Atlanta is ready to welcome more teens into their program – all thanks to a major facelift completed by DPR volunteers in September.

More than 20 DPR Atlanta employees put their professional skills to good use during the “Service September” makeover project, donating an estimated 250 volunteer hours and $4,500 in materials to complete the needed renovation.

The project included:

• Moving the teen room to a new location within the center
• Completely repainting the facility
• Constructing new garden planter boxes where teens can grow their own fruits and vegetables
• Donating and assembling a compost facility and a movable kitchen island for use in the teen center

DPR volunteers completely repainted the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club's teen room in Atlanta. (Photo courtesy Andi King)

Volunteer coordinator Andi King serves on the board of the DeKalb County arm of the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, and worked with the organization to identify a project that needed DPR’s unique skill set as technical builders.

DPR self-perform work crews, particularly Jay Campbell and Chris Jones, were instrumental in bringing the project to fruition.

“From the job walk to getting the self-perform guys there, to hardcore woodworking, we couldn’t have done it without them,” said King.

Ziggy Asfaw, executive director of the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club, said the project is already having a big impact on the approximately 160 children who use the facility for after-school activities each day, including more than 30 teens who are regulars.

The DPR Atlanta team built new planter boxes, where teens will be able to grow their own fruits and vegetables. (Photo courtesy Andi King)

The makeover will help the club expand its mission to serve more youth in the community, while empowering those who already have been using the center.

“DPR has helped us give the teens more reason to want to be at the club. When members feel as though the club is a place they can call their own, they are empowered to serve the community and have a sense of belonging. With support and the feeling that they are cared for, the teens tend to pay it forward,” said Asfaw.