As part of its ongoing community service outreach efforts, Ruppert Landscape out of Laytonsville, Md., teamed with Our House, a job-skills program for at-risk youth, to install a complete landscape for the local nonprofit. Both Ruppert Landscape employees and residents of the home planted 10 trees (ranging in size from 7' to 15' tall), 750 perennials, and 100 shrubs; and laid mulch, compost, and fertilizer.

A combination of deciduous and evergreen plant material was chosen to provide color and texture. Perennials were selected to ensure they'd come back year after year and require little upkeep. The total value of the campus renovation with time and materials was approximately $7,500 and upon completion, over 100 man-hours were invested.

Ruppert provided skills training to Our House residents and its corporate staff prior to the event, with instruction on plant quality, proper tool usage and planting techniques. Our House began 24 years ago and has expanded steadily from a seed grown by one man, Richard Bienvenue, to its current award-winning program. Last year, construction was largely completed on a new building, which will house up to 24 young men and will add capacity for the organization to assist newly graduated young men to live onsite for another 1-2 years while gaining financial stability.

"With Our House being located within just a few miles of our corporate campus, we felt like this partnership made sense and enabled our corporate staff to get directly involved in giving back to our community," said Phil Key, president. "We enjoy hands-on projects like this because we feel it gives our team members a greater connection to what's being donated. We want them to link what they do"?uwhether they work in our accounting department or a field position"?uto our profitability, which ultimately enables us to give back to great causes in our community like this.

For more information visit www.ruppertlandscape.com.