Brickman has been recognized for excellence by the California Landscape Contractors Association San Diego Chapter, receiving the Humanitarian Award for their work at the Boys & Girls Club of El Cajon, Calif., an award in commercial categories. All the design, labor and materials for the renovation at this facility were donated by Brickman as a part of Brickman's Founder's Day, a company-wide program designed to give back to the communities in which Brickman serves.

The renovation of the club included the conversion of a parking area alongside the building to both a large planter in the front of the building and a safe drop off zone for children. As part of the work, a dry riverbed was created to provide a drainage solution for the site.

After 50 years of housing local children and being a refuge and safe place to play and study, the Boys & Girls Club of El Cajon, Calif. needed some improvements. The renovation included a landscape upgrade which has helped the clubhouse save on water and operational costs.

This landscape renovation was part of a Founder's Day project hosted by Brickman Landscape of San Diego, who donated all of the landscape design and labor. Various landscape industry vendors donated materials. Brickman's team on the project consisted of 35 administrative and operations managers who completed the project in one day.

The team dug trenches for a new irrigation system, laid sod, planted plants, applied mulch and more. Drought-tolerant plant material was installed in most planting beds, including kangaroo paws, fountain grasses and various succulents. Turf sod was laid in various parts of the campus to replace dead grass.

"I'll never forget the Boys & Girls Club – it changed my life and was a blast," said Brickman employee Dan Salsberry who was a member of the Boys & Girls Club and participated at the El Cajon Clubhouse. "It was one place I never wanted to leave. Then to go back there to work on Founder's Day – to work on the club that you attended as a kid was really special. I just kept thinking - wow I can't believe I am back here giving back – after all those years. They gave me so much."

A new, more efficient irrigation system was installed on the campus. Lesa Mitchell, director of development for the Boys & Girls Club of East County stated that the new irrigation system yields a 50 percent savings in water and maintenance fees. Because the plants are drought-tolerant, they not only need less water, they don't require as much maintenance so the clubhouse has been able to cut down on landscape maintenance hours.

The landscape enhancements have updated and softened the clubhouse's fa?????ade with its antiquated architectural style. Brickman's Founder's Day is a company-wide program designed to give back to the communities in which Brickman serves.