A detailed account of events that led to The Home Depot Foundation to select Liberty County for their project, and an overview of the planning, collaboration & community-initiative that took place to bring the project to completion. Presented by Leah Poole, CEO of the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce/ Convention and Visitors Bureau.

1. The Home Depot
Foundation Project
Bryant Commons, Hinesville, Georgia
Veterans Memorial Walk
Cisco’s Dog Park
Bramble’s Playground

2. Order of Events
• Late May/early June 2017: Jena Alford, Liberty County native & daughter of
Liberty County BOC CFO, Kim McGlothlin reaches out to find worthy projects in
Liberty County to propose to The Home Depot Foundation. Knowing how many
years the projects have been stalled, Bryant Commons is proposed by Leah Poole.
• June 2017: The Home Depot Foundation reps come for a site visit conducted by
Leah Poole & Michelle Ricketson.
• July 2017: The Home Deport Foundation reps come for another site visit
conducted by Leah Poole, Crystal Caines & Marcus Sack.

3. Order of Events
• Mid-August we are notified that we have been chosen
for the project site for 2017. We are not allowed to
release to media or on social media.
• August-October: working the project: Leah Poole,
Michelle Ricketson & Marcus Sack.

4. Veterans Memorial Walk
• Donated items:
• 1,200 Asiatic Jasmine
• 160 boxwoods
• 60 cubic yards of mulch
• $10,000 towards asphalt

5. Cisco’s Dog Park
• Obstacle courses for big & little dog areas
• Fencing
• Dog waste receptacles
• Fire hydrants
• Trash cans
• 78 cubic yards of pea gravel
• Edging
• 2 dog/human water fountains

6. Cisco’s Dog Park
• Landscaping
• 12,505 square ft of pine straw
• 3 East Palatka Holly
• 14 Nellie Holly
• 4 Evergreen
• 3 Magnolia
• 1 Live Oak
• 1 Drake Elm
• 7 Red Maple
• 28 Crepe Myrtles
• 19 rose bushes
• 28 azaleas
• 478 pansies
• Landscape fabric

7. Cisco’s Dog Park
• All concrete for the dog park
• Infrastructure to support water fountains
• Cost for dog park without additional labor paid for by Home Depot Foundation $92,400.32

8. Bramble’s Playground
• Playground equipment
• Edging
• 130 cubic yards of rubber
mulch, 6 inches 70x100 space
• Professional playground
installer with assistant Sunday-
Thursday from Indianapolis
w/Bobcat

9. Walking Trail
• 5 double shade structures
• 10 benches

10. Donated Items
• 250 volunteers for 4 hours of volunteer labor
• $3000 to pay fence installers to be on-site Wednesday-Friday
• All of the tools to complete every project which included: sanding sponges, box cutters, surge
protectors, safety glasses, socket sets, mallets, wrenches, pliers, hacksaws, measuring tapes,
squares, trowels, hammers, levels, drills, drill bits, nails, screws, wheelbarrows, shovels, post hole
diggers, rakes, pick axes, sledge hammers, buckets, potting soil, lumber, stain, sponges, paint
brushes, drop cloths, ladders, etc.
• All lumber & it was pre-cut by a dock builder to the correct sizes.
• All land build up for the playground
• Engineering & land services for the dog park

11. Donated Items
• Rent a forklift for the week from
Sunbelt
• Paying to have all benches/shade
structures concreted
• All benches/shade structures are being
stained
• Signs for all 3 projects

12. Chamber/CVB Staff
• Offload all materials
• Meet all deliveries
• Coordinate volunteers locally (80 total)
• Handle the communication with all Home Depot corporate staff
• Coordination of food, beverages, etc.
• Set up/tear down
• Our office closed for the whole week
• Project management

13. Monday, October 23- DAY ONE
FROM THIS TO THIS

14. Monday, October 23- DAY ONE
THE PLANT MOVING CREW!

15. Monday, October 23- DAY ONE
And then Home Depot trucks
started coming in with
supplies! All told over 20
semis of supplies came in and
out of Bryant Commons.

16. DAY ONE CREW
Leah Poole Carol Stone Mary Prince Valerie Forrester Ashleigh Thompson
Erin Johnson Claudette Schomburg Tommy McKnight Ryan Willett Mr. Randolph
Mr. Freddie Crystal Caines Catie Fanucci Jody Smiley

17. Tuesday, October 24- DAY TWO
The 78 cubic yards = 6 semis of pea gravel for the dog park

18. Tuesday, October 24- DAY TWO
Now to rake, shovel and level the playground & our project leaders from HD arrive!

19. Tuesday, October 24- DAY TWO
61 trees arrive to offload by hand & every one of those 60 wheelbarrows had to have bolts tightened.

20. Tuesday, October 24- DAY TWO
Every project for Project Day had a series of buckets to hold tools and
supplies. These buckets were packed, checked and rechecked before
Project Day dawned!

21. DAY TWO CREW
Leah Poole Carol Stone Mary Prince Valerie Forrester Ashleigh Thompson
Erin Johnson Claudette Schomburg Tommy McKnight Ryan Willett Mr. Randolph
Mr. Freddie Jody Smiley Terry Beecher Jeff White

22. Wednesday, October 25- DAY THREE
Local volunteers show up for training as Captains for Project Day!

23. Wednesday, October 25- DAY THREE
ESG helps move & unload mulch. Playground starts coming together!

24. Wednesday, October 25- DAY THREE
And until they build a model bench they ARE NOT satisfied!

25. Wednesday, October 25- DAY THREE
The dog park concrete is down & we’re ready!

26. Wednesday, October 25- DAY THREE
Meet Mallory, Cody and Liam
Castilla. Cody, a US Army soldier
was ecstatic to bring his wife, son &
father out to show them what he
and his fellow soldiers did at the
Veterans Memorial Walk and when
they saw all of our other projects
going on they couldn’t wait to come
back & explore!

27. DAY THREE CREW
The All Day Crew
Leah Poole Carol Stone Mary Prince Valerie Forrester Ashleigh Thompson
Erin Johnson Claudette Schomburg Tommy McKnight Ryan Willett Mr. Randolph
Mr. Freddie PJ & Melinda Schneider Karen Bell Patricia Nash Earl White
Charm Reed Wendy Kirkby Hasit Patel Chip Adams Bill
Roger Hutchinson Kateland Arroyo Terry Beecher Jeff White Jody Smiley
Kathy Villafane Levi Moody Lee Burkhalter Crystal Gaddy Heaven Thompson
Quincy Andrews Alissa Moss Mrs. Frazier
The Volunteer
Instruction Group
Michelle Ricketson Leigh Smiley Jeff Ashmen Barbara Martin Catie Fanucci
Crystal Caines Toby Mahan Susan McCorkle Derek Rozier Joe Ford
Chris Ellison Melissa Carter YCA Cadets-after 3pm

28. Thursday, October 26- PROJECT DAY
DAY FOUR
Local Captains arrive at zero dark thirty, ready to greet the Home Depot volunteers!

29. Thursday,
October 26-
PROJECT DAY
DAY FOUR
cause we all need a
little Charm in our
lives!

30. Thursday, October 26- PROJECT DAY
DAY FOUR
And they have arrived! Thanks to Liberty Co Sheriff’s Dept & HPD coordination.

31. Thursday, October 26- PROJECT DAY
DAY FOUR
Our Captains worked hard & the Marne Community Spouses Club did too!

32. Thursday, October 26- PROJECT DAY
DAY FOUR

33. Dinner Thursday Night
• Results in Kirsch Transportation donating the remaining $8,000 towards
completing the asphalt

34. DAY FOUR CREW
Leah Poole Carol Stone Mary Prince Valerie Forrester Ashleigh Thompson
Erin Johnson Claudette Schomburg Tommy McKnight Ryan Willett Mr. Randolph
Mr. Freddie PJ & Melinda Schneider Karen Bell Patricia Nash Earl White
Charm Reed Wendy Hasit Patel Chip Adams Bill
Roger Hutchinson Kateland Arroyo Terry Beecher Jeff White Jody Smiley
Marcus Sack Joey Prince Dwayne Hendricks Rachel Hendricks Melissa Carter
Michelle Ricketson Leigh Smiley Jeff Ashmen Barbara Martin Catie Fanucci
Crystal Caines Toby Mahan Susan McCorkle Derek Rozier Joe Ford
Chris Ellison Alissa Moss Levi Moody Lee Burkhalter Quincy Andrews
YCA Cadets-after 2pm John Baker Reggie Sage Mrs. Frazier Wendy Kirkby

35. Friday, October 27- DAY FIVE
Slim pickings on Day Five, but we’re READY to get it done!

36. Friday, October 27- DAY FIVE
We love hammers, nails & drills! And we LOVE Youth Challenge…we HATE mulch!

37. Friday, October 27- DAY FIVE

38. Friday, October 27- DAY FIVE
And we are DONE! And yes, that’s camo.
Sunburned, wind burned,
dirty, interesting hair do’s and all.
Meet Joe & Ryan from Home Depot
Corporate!

39. DAY FIVE CREW
The All Day Crew
Leah Poole Carol Stone Mary Prince Valerie Forrester Ashleigh Thompson
Erin Johnson Claudette Schomburg Tommy McKnight Ryan Willett Mr. Randolph
Mr. Freddie Joey Prince Quincy Andrews
YCA Cadets-after 3pm

40. Thank you

41. And the gifts keep going…pay it forward

42. And the gifts keep going…pay it forward