Architects celebrate anniversary by investing in homeless kids

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Alex

Want to help kids get the support they need to succeed in school, ensure people can live healthy lives, and support individuals moving from financial crisis to stability? You can team up with the United Way of Douglas County to create long-term change to some of our communitys greatest challenges. See http://www.unitedwaydgco.org for more information or for volunteer opportunities.

Micki Chestnut is communications director for the United Way of Douglas County, which provides occasional features spotlighting local volunteers and charities supported by the United Way.

Alex Quinteros gawked at the huge drill with such eagerness, he looked like he might explode if he didnt get his hands on it in a matter of seconds. This inquisitive 10-year-old didnt have to wait long before Matthew McKillip, an associate with GouldEvans, handed him the bad boy power tool and let him drill the first painted wood slat on the side of the BrainFood Snack Shop. Quinteros was one the 14 children served by Family Promise of Lawrence, Lawrence Community Shelter and the Willow Domestic Violence Center who spend Saturday constructing two library boxes filled with free books for the community as part of the architectural firms 40th anniversary celebration.

Founded in Lawrence in 1974 by former University of Kansas School of Architecture classmates David C. Evans and Robert Gould, GouldEvans has grown to six studios across the nation. The firms recent work in Lawrence includes the Lawrence Public Library remodel, renovations at seven elementary schools and assisting with the design of Sports Pavilion Lawrence.

When contemplating how to commemorate their 40th birthday, the firms leaders decided that throwing themselves a big party didnt seem true to their mission of community service, shared Whitney Lang, GouldEVans architect and daughter of founder David Evans. Instead, the board challenged each studio to engage in a project that addressed homelessness.

Not sure where to start, Lang approached the United Way of Douglas County for help. Together, they developed the BrainFood Snack Shop project, through which the architects got to work one on one with homeless kids, serving as friends and mentors as they taught them new skills, exposed them to new career opportunities and inspired them to excel in school.

The book boxes unusual name comes from the United Ways ongoing BrainFood book drive, which collects childrens books to give to low-income elementary students in our community who participate in the Harvesters BackSnack program. Each Friday, when the students pick up food for the weekend, they also get to select a book of their own, thanks to the United Way BrainFood program.

During the BrainFood Shack Shop event, the elementary through middle school aged children engaged in a variety of fun hand-on activities, including building the BrainFood Snack Shops. On the way to install the first Snack Shop at the Family Promise Day House, the group stopped by the Lawrence Public Library for an insiders tour and to get books for the houses, a gift from the library.

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Architects celebrate anniversary by investing in homeless kids