ConstructConnect, AIA and Hanley Wood Media have announced the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida’s CWF is the recipient of AEC Care’s seventh annual blitz build.
The “projectOrlando” build will unite construction and design professionals from around the country to renovate the Central Florida shelter on April 26, 2017, the day before the AIA National Convention at the Orange County Convention Center.
“The ConstructConnect team is a supporter of AEC Cares and its mission,” says Dave Conway, ConstructConnect CEO and President of AEC Cares. “We are excited to support AEC Cares in revitalizing the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida’s CWF. It is an honor to collaborate with architects, contractors, and product manufacturers to create a space for families in the Orlando community.”
The Coalition furnishes temporary residences and comprehensive services to help provide economic and housing stability for its clients. The Coalition’s CWF can accommodate up to 240 people. The renovation of the CWF offers a chance to bring positive changes to the homeless community. During the blitz build, AEC professionals will improve the Center’s lobby, dormitory hallways, and family room.
“Organizations like AEC Cares make the difference between the Coalition being a shelter versus a home. Our resources provide the basic necessities to more than 500 people each day, so we are incredibly grateful when a professional group reaches out to us, offering to go the extra mile for our clients,” says John C. Hearn, president, and CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. “We can’t wait to see how volunteers from AEC Cares transform the family dorms in our CWF. It will make a huge difference in the daily lives of those who call the CWF home.”
ConstructConnect, AIA and Hanley Wood Media have worked together for the past seven years for AEC Cares’ annual build, to raise awareness and provide community support for projects across the U.S. Beginning in 2011 these groups collaborated to rebuild five homes devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Subsequent projects included revitalizing houses for homeless teens in Washington D.C. and transforming a 30-year-old former school building into a daycare and early learning center for impoverished children in Chicago’s Southwest Side. AEC Cares’ most recent project included revitalizing an inner-city Philadelphia athletic recreation center.
“The AIA is proud to participate in the AEC Cares projectOrlando and is grateful for the opportunity to give back to the greater Central Florida community hosting the AIA Conference on Architecture 2017,” says Robert Ivy, FAIA, EVP/chief executive officer of the AIA. “Our collective effort to deliver social change in local communities, like Orlando, is what drives the profession to design a better world and create solutions for clients like the CWF.”
To sponsor the AEC Cares project or to find additional information, visit the website.