All-In to Help Our Neighbors Seattle Children's Alyssa Burnett Center

Aldrich Team Members Cleared a Path and Acreage for ABC Staff and Students Use

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 ABC staff lead A+ Team members on a tour of the newly remodeled space Aldrich had completed earlier in the year. ABC staff member Daniel Diaz gave a presentation to educate our group about the center's purpose and the students

On September 23rd, Aldrich team members gathered for a grounds cleanup work party at the Seattle Children’s Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center in Bothell. The Alyssa Burnett Center (ABC) supports adults with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities offering a variety of learning and skill-building workshops as well as social and community engagement opportunities. Not only is the ABC facility a close neighbor―only a mile down the road from Aldrich’s Bothell office―Seattle Children’s is also a long-term Aldrich client!

John and Matt had to push aside overgrowth to ascend the stairs to the fields behind ABC on our first site visit to determine project scope. The facility (and CFO Brett Lantz) could barely be seen through the all the brush, trees, and blackberries We discovered there was once Olympic-rated horseshoe pits located in the upper field  ABC staff members scoping out the project on our first site visit 

A+ Team volunteers faced an intensive day of clearing overgrowth on about an acre of land around the ABC facility. Armed with trimmers, weed whackers, clippers, machetes, rakes, pitchforks, and an abundance of enthusiasm and camaraderie, the team battled weeds, overgrown grass, tree limbs, and blackberries, “LOTS OF BLACKBERRIES!!!!” exclaimed CFO Brett Lantz. There was so much debris, John Beaston and the team filled a flatbed truck to the brim. 

Michele Smith, accounting admin put on her gloves and PPE and went to work  The stairwell had to be tackled first to reach the upper fields  Project engineers Alex Ruiz and Elmer Campuzano  CFO Brett Lantz handles a machete like a pro!

A day’s work made a dramatic difference! The team tackled the project over four hours and unearthed several tiered hillside fields and the winding staircase leading up to them that had been long obscured by the overgrowth. Along with the ABC employees, we were thrilled to see the newly revealed area and the potential it has for outdoor activities. “It’s such a great area not to take advantage of it, and it was rewarding seeing how appreciative the ABC staff were,” said project engineer Cameron Duncan. 

Cameron Duncan raking the hillside Office administrator Ann Warner-Smith raked with a smile! Team members were armed with trimmers, weed whackers, clippers, machetes, rakes, pitchforks to tackle the project. Among many things we unearthed during the grounds clean-up, Michele Smith was the only one brave enough to pick up this garden snake.

“Our group worked really hard, and it was great to see the teamwork outside of the office,” said Brett, “I appreciated the tour beforehand to get an understanding of the amazing work they do there, and it was cool to see the ABC employees excited about what we had accomplished.”

VP John Schuh sporting his Aldrich 50th Anniversary tie-dye tee took a machete to the hillside near the property fence.  It was rewarding to see how appreciative the ABC staff were to have access to the grounds.  The horseshoe pits had been uncovered, and the ABC staff were already enjoying themselves in the newly cleared space!

The experience was tremendously rewarding. So much so that plans are already in the works for 2023 and beyond to continue support of ABC and the students. We hope to go back in the near future and interact with the students, doing things like building birdhouses or holding job interview workshops, in addition to further grounds maintenance.

Ascending stairs and fields cleared for use after only four hours. The stairwell was clear and safe for use to access the fields above.  A day's work made a dramatic difference!