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'Extreme Makeover' project gets green carpet treatment | statesmanjournal.com | Statesman Journal
Volunteers unfurled rolls of green sod in front of the nearly finished dorms at the Oregon School for the Deaf today in the final days of production for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
Within 15 minutes a carpet of tall fescue blanketed about 100,000 square feet. Maple trees, fountain grasses and mums filled the beds around the dormitories. Typically the work would take six to eight weeks, said Gary Bean, owner of All Service Landscape Co.
Today it took 12 hours.
Several local nurseries and landscaping companies, including DeSantis Landscapes, Green Acres Landscape and Bean’s Nursery, donated time and plants. For Gary Bean, it was an obvious fit. His son Jason graduated from the Oregon School for the Deaf in 1991 before going to work in the family nursery. Both father and son donated time and about $10,000 worth of maple trees, ornamental grass and ground cover.
“Giving back to the deaf school is quite an honor,” Gary Bean said.
Walker Leiser with DeSantis Landscapes also has a personal connection to the project — both of his daughters were born deaf, and while they don’t attend the school, he still feels connected to the small community. His wife runs “Hands and Voices,” a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
But even those who didn’t have a personal tie to the project rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty Saturday.
Deleen Wills, alumni director for Corban College, organized a group of 23 from the college to volunteer.
“We are having a ball,” she said.
University student Kimberly Schwartz sorted stuff in the basement of the Nightmare Factory, planted sod and took food and drinks to contractors.
“I’ve never done anything like this before,” she said.
“It pushes you to work hard and learn about something that was hidden in Salem and no one really knew about,” she said about the Oregon School for the Deaf.
For landscape architect James T. Sahlstrom it was an answer to a prayer.
“We haven’t had any work for a year,” he said. “Last month I said lord I am so bored. I need something to do.”
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” gave Sahlstrom more than enough to keep him busy, to which he answered “praise the lord.”
Volunteers unfurled rolls of green sod in front of the nearly finished dorms at the Oregon School for the Deaf today in the final days of production for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
Within 15 minutes a carpet of tall fescue blanketed about 100,000 square feet. Maple trees, fountain grasses and mums filled the beds around the dormitories. Typically the work would take six to eight weeks, said Gary Bean, owner of All Service Landscape Co.
Today it took 12 hours.
Several local nurseries and landscaping companies, including DeSantis Landscapes, Green Acres Landscape and Bean’s Nursery, donated time and plants. For Gary Bean, it was an obvious fit. His son Jason graduated from the Oregon School for the Deaf in 1991 before going to work in the family nursery. Both father and son donated time and about $10,000 worth of maple trees, ornamental grass and ground cover.
“Giving back to the deaf school is quite an honor,” Gary Bean said.
Walker Leiser with DeSantis Landscapes also has a personal connection to the project — both of his daughters were born deaf, and while they don’t attend the school, he still feels connected to the small community. His wife runs “Hands and Voices,” a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
But even those who didn’t have a personal tie to the project rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty Saturday.
Deleen Wills, alumni director for Corban College, organized a group of 23 from the college to volunteer.
“We are having a ball,” she said.
University student Kimberly Schwartz sorted stuff in the basement of the Nightmare Factory, planted sod and took food and drinks to contractors.
“I’ve never done anything like this before,” she said.
“It pushes you to work hard and learn about something that was hidden in Salem and no one really knew about,” she said about the Oregon School for the Deaf.
For landscape architect James T. Sahlstrom it was an answer to a prayer.
“We haven’t had any work for a year,” he said. “Last month I said lord I am so bored. I need something to do.”
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” gave Sahlstrom more than enough to keep him busy, to which he answered “praise the lord.”