A Hard Hat Evening

East Cooper Habitat for Humanity recently celebrated 21 years of helping to provide affordable, simple, and safe homes for Lowcountry families.  We fully support the work they do in our community (stay tuned this Spring for more details about our Builder's Blitz when we'll build a home for a Mt. Pleasant family in ONE WEEK'S TIME!)  Over their 21 years here in Charleston, ECHH has provided 63 families with a new home!

Catching up with Greg Thomas, Sea Island Habitat for Humanity's Executive Director

Structures Designer and Sales & Marketing Coordinator, Deborah Way, recently had the opportunity to attend their anniversary celebration, A Hard Hat Evening, at The Atrium at Blackbaud on Daniel Island.  The event's highlight was definitely reconnecting with friends in the Habitat community, but the night also included a silent auction fundraiser.  Auction items included an African safari, restaurant gift cards, spa services,a trip to Bali, art work, jewelry, and much more!

 

 One lucky bidder now has 4 hours of skilled "handyman" service from Structures Building Company!  

A Hard Hat Evening also included recognition for Cathy Remington, the event's coordinator and Vice President of the Board of Directors, who has been organizing the fundraiser for 6 years.  ECHH honored Cathy with the East Cooper Habitat for Humanity Golden Hammer Award for her extraordinary volunteer service in spearheading many events and for serving on the Board of Directors.  In their 21 years of existence, ECHH has only honored 4 others with this award!  Many thanks to Cathy and all those at East Cooper Habitat for Humanity for what they do for local families!

Interested in supporting East Cooper Habitat for Humanity by attending a fundraiser or through volunteer service?  Visit their website for upcoming events and volunteer opportunities!

Read More

To the Ends of the Earth. . .

Just a little over a week since I stepped foot back on American soil, I was buckled into four different planes, totaling 24 hours in the air for my return flight and I'm still trying to describe the experience I had in Kolkata, India!  I've been asked many times about my trip and honestly, the only way I know how to truly describe it is by saying, "It was awesome, devastating, beautiful, breath-taking, depressing, hopeless, filled with hope and an unforgettable trip."  There are no words to describe it.  Some of my pictures "might" shed a little more light, but to truly understand India, you have to experience it for yourself and take it in through your five senses. . . without a doubt, it will continue to take time to really process through everything I experienced.

One of the many beautiful faces of India!

Just to give a little glimpse into the city of Kolkata, India, There are 16 million people who live there and 2 million of them live on the streets! Two weeks I was there definitely gave me a different lens through which I view things back home!  Though I "enjoyed" aspects of my trip, I think a better description of the trip would be that it was life changing! I "enjoyed" the children and people I met, the places I was privileged to serve and my favorite aspect was simply loving on those who were so desperate for help. . . that's what I "enjoyed"!


Come take a little photo tour through the sights I took in. . . they won't come close to capturing India, but a least it will give you a little taste of these amazing people!

I love the little pop of color in front of the boys in school uniforms on their way to school in the morning.

 A little boy drinking up the last drop of milk at the Dump School.  These children are picked up from an actual dump where they live with their families. We were able to be a part of their lives as they came to this little school where we gave them a bath, taught them English, made a craft, played and share sweet stories of hope with them!

 Giving thanks for the daily "bread" he was about to receive.

Being served a hot and healthy meal. . . since they live at the dump, they also eat at/from the dump. They understand the gift of a fresh meal prepared just for them!

 Their beautiful colors always amaze me!

 A woman begging.

 A family standing outside their home.

 Slum homes.

This is a "normal" sight. . . trash and garbage are seen all over the place.

Having been to Bangalore in 2005 on a medical missions trip, I knew what I was in for as I set out for India again. . . but from what I had heard, Kolkata was supposed to be harder, filthier and more poverty stricken. . . I found that to be true.

 This group of boys have been rescued by a sweet India family who have a tremendous heart for boys living to survive at a large train station.  Many have been abused by their parents, have fallen into the "gang life" to try to provide that sense of "family", drugs and they end up living like animals as they "fend" for themselves. Their stories of gratitude, hope and a changed life were absolutely amazing since they really were experiencing a genuine and true love for the first time in their lives.  They didn't take their "adoption" into this awesome and self sacrificing Indian family for granted!

Due to a generous cash gift from a Structures family member and a Structures client, 10 "train station" boys will have new clothes for Christmas! They also enjoyed some yummy ice cream after we took them to a Science Center! Something they had never experienced before!

Teaching in a slum school.

 Due to another extremely generous financial gift of someone else from the Structures family and a dear client, over 60 children in this school will have new math and English books!  They were finished with their current books and were specifically praying that their need for new books would be met. . . Wow, were they ever blessed and encouraged!!!

 A precious little girl I wanted to bring home with me!!!

 Learning to enunciate each letter in the alphabet.

As I said, this can only shed a little light on this huge land of beautiful people. . . I'd jump at the opportunity to sit across a table from each person I know and give them a full verbal and visual rundown of the trip!  It would be full of heart gripping and amazing stories that filled each moment from the time I stepped foot into India until I arrived back home. . .  I'm still so grateful and overwhelmed by the privilege I had to be a part of some really awesome and beautiful things that are taking place in India!

Forever changed. . .
deb

Read More

Snapshots of the Season

Our company Grill Masters, R.P. Newton and Steve Kendrick getting the main course ready for us to devour!

Anne Kendrick and Miles posing for a shot in front of the tree before dinner.

Marty Kersey, Dave and Tori Hargis, R.P. Newton and Anne Marie Cale scarfing down the homemade fruit salsa and cinnamon sugar chips Dave made for our incredible appetizer!

Deborah Way, Anne, Dave and Tori enjoying pre-dinner conversation.

Steve and Will

Anne Marie, Marty and R.P. contemplating the right answer to their Cranium question. They successfully won the game, I might add!

Sugar Bake Shop located on Cannon Street did an amazing job baking tasty cookies for us to give out this holiday! I think we all gained about 5 extra pounds after all the sampling we did, we just couldn't help ourselves!

Co-owner Bill with Anne Marie and all our boxes of cookies!

One of my favorite things we did this holiday was to buy Christmas clothing and toys for children who have a mother or father in prison. Each gift was purchased on behalf of the parent who is unable to spend Christmas with their child.

Sophie, Will and Miles were perfect for the job! They had great ideas as to what we should by our Angel Tree children so they would have fun gifts sitting under their Christmas tree!

James Island County Park Festival of Lights displaying the old and new Cooper River Bridge through lights!

We hope you and your family are surrounded by the hope, peace, joy and gift of this holiday season! From all of us at Structures!

Read More

Building Up the Community

The Structures team partnered with Daniel Island Real Estate and Operation Home last Friday to help the Fishburne family by building a ramp and executing kitchen renovations. The family's kitchen was in need of significant repairs including holes in the floor and cabinet reconstruction.

Special thanks to Carpet Baggers for new kitchen flooring, Sullivan Custom Cabinets for new cabinets that matched the previous ones perfectly, Ferguson Enterprises for plumbing fixtures, East Cooper Plumbing and Gas for plumbing hookups, Buck Lumber for the necessary building materials for the ramp, Marty Kersey from the Structures team for organizing and implementing the project, Randy Wilke who spent many hours collaborating with Marty, Hawk McElveen for assisting Randy with the trim, and NYPD Pizza for generously discounted pizza that fed the whole crew and family. This project served as an exceptional way to further build relationships by giving back to the community.

The Structures Team

Deborah Way, RP Newton, Steve Kendrick, Marty Kersey, Dave Hargis

Read More

Woman's Work!

I've been a huge supporter of the mission of Habitat for Humanity for many years, but this was the first year I've been a part of the National Woman Build Week where all volunteers are. . . you guessed it, women! Since I've done most of my volunteer work through Structures Building Company, this was the first time I was going to experience it on a completely different level. The biggest difference was, (for the safety of the volunteers) no power tools were allowed. You think to yourself, "no big deal". . . but anyone in the industry knows that a switch like that takes framing to a completely different level and time schedule, slightly different when you're using hammers and nails as opposed to nail guns. Did that deter any of the woman who came out to work on the framing? No Way! We all went at it with gusto! I have to admit, it was quite humorous as you looked around to take in the different "hammering styles". You saw the "two handed swing", the "right up on the neck of the hammer to get the most ump" and one of my favorites was, Tori Stein, of Atlantic Builders Inc., who insisted that this side of the hammer had better coverage to hit the head of the nail. No worries, Tori made up for anything she didn't bring to the workday by bring a Lead Carpenter Morgan who was THE BEST female volunteer! Morgan truly knew what in the world she was doing! (of course Tori knows how to really swing a hammer but as you can see, we were all determined to have humor and fun incorporated into our hard work!

This home is being built for the Martinez Family - Maribel is a single mother of three, Maria, Ivan and Tonya. Maria is currently serving in the Marines, Ivan will graduate from high school this year and Tonya was just accepted into the Charleston Collegiate High School! It was fun to have just a small part in this exciting journey for this incredible family!

I'm so glad the Charleston Trident Home Builders Association (CTHBA) gathered up stellar women, near and far to come out for this opportunity! It's great to be a part of a company and the CTHBA, which places a huge value on the community and actively looks for opportunities to bring our hands and tools to the table!

Read More

The Greater Prize, Still Being Present. . .

Receiving the award for Best Custom Product for 2-3 million

Since our founding 10 years ago, Structures has entered Charleston’s annual Prism Awards, a ceremony that celebrates the best designs, craftsmanship, customer service and sales in the local building industry. Fortunately, we have walked out of the event with at least one award every year. Some years, frankly, I took it for granted that we should win an award, except for this year. This year was special.


The awards ceremony was held on a shoestring budget, no MC, there was a cash bar, and the feature speaker was our Charleston Trident Home Builders Association’s wonderful president, Tori Martindale of Atlantic Remodeling. Tori spoke about a year that was eerily similar to ours; one that included layoffs, paycuts, benefit cuts and a reduction in overhead that involved consolidating into a home office. The room was quiet and a few tears were shed, as she spoke about the challenges we’ve all faced this year. I also couldn’t help but notice how empty the room was. There were some new faces, but the faces of builder friends were few and far between. Many have lost their businesses or are starting over. Some likely didn’t have much to celebrate this year, it was humbling.


As I sat through the program and awards, I was again humbled as Structures did really well at this year’s event. We were recognized in a diverse group of categories;


1. The award for Affordable Housing for Latoya Palmer’s Habitat Home
2. Charleston’s Green Builder of the Year Award
3. The award for the Best Luxury Built Home for the Behren’s Residence
4. Custom Builder Customer Service Award from GuildQuality

Deborah Way receiving the award for Green Building Company

In receiving these awards, I'm humbled by the tireless determination and standard that comprises those within the Structures family and our amazing team of trades. We all share the same commitment for building “green” custom homes, regardless of size or budget. . . our high standard remains the same.


The awards mean more this year, because honestly, we're humbled and thankful to have made it through another year - a year that's strengthened each of us to the core. . .

Read More

The Moods of the Color Pink

They say that different colors create a different mood, Red = Excited, Blue = Calm, Orange = Daring, Gray = Bored. This past Saturday, Pink was the color that painted the streets of Daniel Island and in many cases Pink reflected many moods and feelings that were felt by all - Hope, Fear,Victory, Sadness, Courage, Love.

For the 8th year in a row, Daniel Island residents and businesses hosted the annual Susan G. Komen, Race For the Cure to show their support for those who have been personally touched or know someone dear to them who has been touched by breast cancer.

For me, the names that come to my mind as an inspiration have deeply touched me, directly or indirectly with their battle, they have left their mark on me. I have seen them run with courage, their family and friends battling beside them and they have inspired me to cherish each day I've been blessed with on this earth.

In celebration of Donna's life, many poor families in a remote village in India have been and continue to be touched by her beautiful life as a foundation was set up in honor of her name - her legacy lives on. In my dear friend Sara's life, who carried out her dream of starting her own sewing business, because of the love for sewing and the talent that her amazing mother passed along to her - her mother's legacy lives on. Sandy, a family friend and mother of four who battled and is reminded daily of this disease by the scars she carries on her body - her hope lives on.

Check out the local Post and Courier newspaper article highlighting some of the amazing lives - Proof of a miracle: Racing for a cure.

Read More

Following the Leaders

Ahmad with his daughter, Analla, Ahmad's Sister, Keema and me

It's a great feeling to be a part of a company that understands the importance of an investment and a promise. Whether that applies to the investment of each client and their custom home or the lives we come in contact with throughout life.Ahmad's daughter Analla, graduate David and me

For 7 years prior to beginning my position at Structures Building Company, I had the privilege of being the Assistant Director/Lead Teacher for the Faith, Hope and Love Mentoring Program in Charlotte, NC. Having the opportunity to have these "kids" a part of my life for the past 11 years has been one of my greatest joys!

Proud Grandmother Byrd who has raised her amazing grand daughter, Karen

What a privilege I've had seeing the milestones these leaders have worked for as they just graduated from high school and prepare themselves for college!

PeeWee, Doran and me

Kare'n and I enjoying Sophie's performance in the play, Guys and Dolls Jr while Kare'n came down to enjoyed a weekend away in Charleston before heading off for college.

Kare'n, Sophie and me after the play!

Read More