Philanthropy

Brick Raises Money for YBB with Brickleball Event

First and second place winners (l-r): Brian Hellrigel, Matthew Ferdenzi, Jordan Elster and Daniel Metzdorf

Boston – Brick, a partnership dedicated to the design, technology, and execution of projects in architecture and interior design, announced that its first pickleball tournament, Brickleball, raised $15,000 for YouthBuild Boston (YBB).

YBB offers hands-on training and skill building to prepare underserved young people for jobs in the design and construction industry. YBB’s mission is to empower and assist underserved young people from the Boston area with the essential social, vocational, academic, and life skills necessary to navigate a positive pathway to self-sufficiency and neighborhood responsibility. Brick selected YBB as the recipient of the first Brickleball tournament to support its mission to empower youth and strengthen neighborhoods.

Brickleball was held at PKL, a 22,000sf pickleball venue in Boston with five competition-level indoor courts, shuffleboard and cornhole, and

(l-r): Rob Zirkle; Abigail Hammett; and Brian McPherson, YBB executive director

included craft beer, food and cocktails. Over 100 attendees, including 20 pickleball teams, were in attendance. The first place winners were Daniel Metzdorf of The Steele Group and Jordan Elster of Innovation Studio; second place went to Brian Hellrigel and Matthew Ferdenzi of WB Engineers + Consultants; and third place went to Eric Shabshelowitz and Jack Lavanchy of Cabot & Company.

“We’re so grateful to everyone that came out to Brickleball. The exuberant, innovative, and charitable spirit of Boston’s AEC industry was really palpable in the room. That unique energy is why we opened Brick’s new office here (in my hometown!) and it’s truly exemplified by YBB,” said Abigail Hammett, AIA, associate principal at Brick. “We just feel very lucky to be able to support the mission of an organization that represents the very best of this city.”

Griffin Electric Holds Backpack Drive ULI Receives $1.5M for Housing Initiative

Holliston, MA – Wayne J. Griffin Electric, Inc. and its employees recently donated backpacks, each filled with an assortment of school supplies, to benefit local students and families. The company partnered with both the Holliston Pantry Shelf and Medway House Family Shelter to supply backpacks for children from pre-school through high school.

The Holliston Pantry Shelf, established almost 30 years ago, is a nonprofit food pantry serving close to 200 local families and is run by a staff of 120 volunteers, with no state or local funding. Providing congregate housing for several local families, the Medway House Family Shelter assists its residents in acquiring permanent and affordable housing, as

Griffin Electric backpack drive

well as “medical, educational, vocational, and social services and referrals.”

Headquartered in Holliston, and with regional office locations in Alabama, North Carolina, and Georgia, Griffin Electric prioritizes the importance of paying it forward and staying connected to the local programs and residents in these areas. Washington – Real estate executive Preston Butcher and his wife Carolyn have donated $1.5 million to the Urban Land Institute Foundation (ULIF) to fund the ULI Homeless to Housed Initiative, which will identify and disseminate best practices that will enable communities to provide housing for those experiencing homelessness.

The initiative will be part of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing and will build on the findings of the center’s recent report, Homeless to Housed: The ULI Perspective Based on Actual Case Studies. Co-authored and funded by Preston Butcher, the report explores how to support people experiencing homelessness through creative housing solutions and community collaboration. It also includes case studies of eight successful developments around the U.S.

The initiative will convene a national working group of leaders involved in the development, design, funding, and operation of temporary and permanent attainable housing. It will also research and document projects across the country and share best practices through ULI’s channels and beyond.

“By providing the development community and policymakers with innovative models for attainable housing,

Carolyn and Preston Butcher we can attract the resources that cities need to overcome the growing crisis of homelessness,” Preston Butcher said. “I’m proud to expand on my work for ULI with a gift that helps put our research into practice. We have the potential to change millions of lives for the better.”

A longtime ULI member, Preston Butcher is a former member of the ULI Global Board and a current member of the ULI Foundation James Rouse Society. He co-founded the National Multifamily Housing Council, for which he is past chairman of the board of directors and a current member of the executive committee.

As part of its effort to develop attainable housing and create additional resources for people experiencing homelessness, ULI is seeking an additional $1.5 million to match Carolyn and Preston Butcher’s commitment. Visit foundation.uli.org to learn more about how to contribute.