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Miller Legg Palm Beach & Treasure Coast staff Participate in Habitat for Humanity
In February 2009, an enthusiastic group of Miller Leggers from the Palm Beach and St. Lucie Offices joined together to volunteer their Saturday to help build a home with Habitat for Humanity at the Kennedy Estates site in Jupiter. We had 10 “carpenters” in our group who banged nails, and a thumb or two, alongside the future homeowners and other volunteers. The project’s roots began over eight years ago in 2001 when Palm Beach County Facilities Development and Operations asked Miller Legg to assist with developing a site plan for the property. It was done with the ultimate goal of encouraging a private developer to purchase this property for the construction of single family, affordable housing. Well the process continued over the years through site planning, platting and eventually infrastructure design and construction. We completed the project for Palm Beach County in early 2007 and the property was then sold to Habitat for the Humanity. They got their first building permit in March of 2008 and one year later have completed about six of the twenty-seven homes. Incidentally, Miller Legg also helped launch a Green Building framework for Habitat for Humanity in Palm Beach County. The Kennedy Estates project is seeking LEED Silver Certification for their homes. Seems we have more than a little history with this community project. Thanks to the Palm Beach and St. Lucie offices for their time and “sweat equity”.
Seminole County Air Potato Raid
Miller Leggers from the Central Florida Office joined with 635 other volunteers for the 7th Annual Seminole County Air Potato Raid. The air potato vine is a terrible exotic plant that has taken over many natural areas throughout Florida as it can grow up to 8 inches a day! The vine covers everything and spreads by a "potato" which is actually a tuber, similar to a real potato. It was introduced from Africa for food and medicinal purposes in the early 1900s. The 635 volunteers combed through Spring Hammock Preserve to find all the air potatoes and we found over 8,400 pounds!!!
Komen Race for the Cure
Since 1983, the Komen Race for the Cure has grown from one local race with 800 participants in Dallas, Texas, to more than 100 Races with more than 1.3 million people across the US. In 2009, the Race was held in West Palm Beach with more than 21,000 people attending. Miller Leggers from the Palm Beach Office participated. If you would like to get involved or learn more about breast cancer and/or the Komen Foundation here is a link to their website.
http://ww5.komen.org/
Central Florida Office Participates in Adopt-a-Highway Program
Staff in the Central Florida Office conducted another successful Adopt-a-Highway clean-up effort. On a chilly Saturday morning, our hardy group braved Arctic Central Florida temperatures and collected 14 bags of trash along our adopted 2 mile stretch of Lee Road, shattering the previous record of 9 bags! Many thanks to our Central Florida Staff. It was a great "Green" effort!
FNPS Presentation on Environmental Due Diligence
Miller Legg gave a presentation on "Environmental Due Diligence for Land Development" for the Florida Native Plant Society. The discussion was on environmental permitting associated with wetlands, trees, wildlife, and coastal habitats. The presentation was followed on by an Interpretive Field Visit at the Volunteer Park Wetlands Mitigation Area in Plantation.
Planning Association Hosts Bike-A-Thon to Benefit Boundless Playgrounds
The Central Florida Chapter of the Florida Planning and Zoning Association (FPZA) hosted a Bike-A-Thon in April at the Clermont Waterfront Park as an initiative to promote the bicycle and pedestrian trails that are gaining popularity throughout Central Florida. All proceeds will go to Boundless Playgrounds, a national non-profit organization dedicated to helping communities create extraordinary playgrounds where children, with and without disabilities, can develop essential skills for life as they learn together through play. Miller Legg staff participated and helped organize the event.
Central Florida Office Volunteer Painters in a Pinch
In July of 2008, Girls and Boys Town called to ask for help painting one of the homes in their community. Some of our wonderful Miller Leggers stepped up and took a few hours out of their weekend plans to help out. The following weekend, several Miller Leggers went back to help finish the house painting project. Girls and Boys Town is America's largest privately funded organization serving severely at-risk, abused, abandoned and neglected children.
Seacrest Scrub Natural Area
Miller Legg staff recently helped Palm Beach County by removing exotic vegetation and trash from Seacrest Scrub Natural Area in Boynton Beach. Palm Beach County conducts these volunteer events every two months.
Palm Beach Office Staff Assist Rebuilding Together
Miller Legg, in collaboration with the Solid Waste Authority (SWA) and Rebuilding Together of the Palm Beaches, got together to paint a home in the City of West Palm Beach. Rebuilding Together is the nation's leading organization bringing volunteers and communities together to improve the homes and lives of low-income homeowners by providing free repair services for those with the greatest need.
Surveyors Make Career Presentation
Just before school let out for the summer, Miller Legg Survey Party Chiefs in the Palm Beach Office made a presentation to students at Cypress Trails Elementary School in Royal Palm Beach about surveying. Students learned about the variety of careers in surveying and which mathematic and science skills are needed to succeed in our industry.
Leadership Broward Graduate Spearheaded Extreme Landscape Makeover Project
Miller Legg led a Leadership Broward Community Project Team in an extreme landscape makeover for a foster care home in Fort Lauderdale for the Agency for Community Treatment Services, ACTS. The team completed the project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony including various dignitaries. More than $133,000 of in-kind donations was raised for this project to benefit adolescent foster girls.
SFO Supports Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
In the Spring of 2009, 18 staffers from the South Florida Office participated in the Mercedes Benz Corporate Run, a 5K run and fun walk, which raises funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The event was held at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise.
St. Lucie Office Staff Volunteer as Judges for Engineering Magnet Program
Treasure Coast Miller Leggers volunteered as judges for the Florida Engineering Society Treasure Coast "Project Lead the Way" - teams of students at the Lincoln Park Academy Technology Magnet Program who designed an 80-bed hospital for a site in St. Lucie County. The students presented their designs and calculations to the judges. The criteria used to determine the winner included adherence to design standards, presentation of materials, completeness of calculations, and organization.
Surveyor Assists with High School Trigonometry Competition
Miller Leggers from the Central Florida Office, assisted Seminole County's Lyman High School "Institute for Engineering" magnet program students with their annual Trig Star Competition in April. Winners from this local competition will have the chance to participate at a national level. Staff volunteered for Seminole County's program based on involvement with the Central Florida Chapter of the Florida Surveyors and Mappers Society (FSMS). Lyman High School is located in the City of Longwood.
Palm Beach Office Hosts Halloween Costume Party for PSA
Our Palm Beach Office hosted a Halloween costume party for PSA, a medical day care facility in West Palm Beach for children with disabilities that cannot attend a regular daycare because they need nurse supervision. The party was enjoyed by children of all ages!
Volunteers Support Hollywood Beach Dune Revegetation Project
Miller Legg designed the plans to implement a Dune Revegetation Project at the Renaissance Condominiums beach area just south of John U. Lloyd Beach State Park on Hollywood Beach. Miller Legg volunteers, as well as hundreds of others, planted Sea Oat sprigs in a 25 foot swath throughout 300 linear feet of renourished beach sand. The program is coordinated by the Broward Soil & Water Conservation Service (BSWCS). Miller Legg has prepared similar plans for the City of Hallandale Beach as well. The ultimate goal is for the Sea Oats to "anchor" the sand against the effects of wind and water erosion and provide a permanently vegetated dune to mitigate the effects of tidal surge from tropical storms. Other volunteers included South Broward Hospital District Vice-Chairperson Albert C. Jones, the School Board of Broward County and Broward College's Saturday Science Program High School.
St. Lucie Office Staff Volunteer for FES MathCounts Program
In February of 2009, Miller Legg's St. Lucie Office staff volunteered at FES MathCounts Competition. They served as graders for the morning written tests and then assisted during the live speed rounds. Approximately 50 students from eight schools competed in the Treasure Coast Chapter event. MATHCOUNTS is a national math coaching and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement. The Florida Engineering Society (FES) is proud to have sponsored Florida's MATHCOUNTS since it's origination in 1983. MATHCOUNTS attracts students with an interest in the high-tech and engineering fields.
Team Participation in St. Patrick's Day 5K Run and Walk in Victoria Park
Miller Legg teammates from our Central Florida Office participated in the 4th Annual Victoria Park 5K Road Race and Fitness Walk held on St. Patrick's Day. Miller Leggers celebrated post-race with a world-famous pancake breakfast. They didn't win the costume contest but enjoyed participating. Proceeds from the event benefit the DeLand Kiwanis and its family charity work. Some of the organizations that they sponsor include: Children's Cancer Foundation, The House Next Door, The Boys and Girls Club of Volusia County, CORS (Community Outreach Services), Ronald McDonald House Children's Charities, and many other local children's charities.
CSI First Annual Night of Champions Event a Success
Miller Legg staff was honored by the Greater Miami Chapter of the Continental Societies, Inc. (CSI), for their role as Master of Ceremonies at CSI's First Annual Night of Champions Fundraising event. The mission of the CSI is to create environments within our communities that empower children to have access to quality and appropriate opportunities to reach their optimal potential.
Palm Beach Office hosts Toy Drive to Benefit Family Central
Miller Legg's Palm Beach Office contributed more than 40 new toys for children - infants to teens -- to benefit the children supported by Family Central. Family Central is a non-profit agency whose mission is to provide services which improve the quality of life for children and families through child care services, family health programs, and family counseling programs. Previous holiday drives have benefited other charities including Toys for Tots and The Lord's Place, a charity that provides housing and food for the homeless in West Palm Beach.
EASE Foundation recipient of Food Drive in South Florida Office
The EASE Foundation, a charity to benefit those in immediate need of essentials such as food and temporary emergency assistance in Southwest Broward County, was selected as the recipient of the South Florida Office's Holiday Food Drive. More than 15 bags of groceries were delivered the week before the holidays. The South Florida Office has been very supportive of the EASE Foundation in the past as well, helping them to restock their pantry periodically enabling them to help more than 3,300 families in need year-round.
Volunteers help Prestige Club Host Thanksgiving Picnic
More than a dozen Miller Legg staff from both the South Florida Office and the Fort Lauderdale Office, and their friends and family members, volunteered to help the Prestige Club provide a Thanksgiving Picnic at CB Smith Park to benefit clients of charitable organizations such as the Schott Community Center, Boys and Girls Club of Davie, and the EASE Foundation. The Miller Legg volunteers assisted in activities ranging from serving the food, to checking-in guests at the registration tables and to helping with arts and crafts for the physically challenged.
St. Lucie Office Participates in Park Grand Openings
Miller Legg staff from the St. Lucie Office participated with the City of Port St. Lucie to celebrate two new park grand openings, Jessica Clinton Park and McChesney Park, for which the firm played a major role in their design. Miller Legg staff provided 200 balloons to celebrate these special events and distributed them to all attendees - children and children at heart.
Girl's & Boy's Town of Oviedo Beneficiary of Central Florida Office Holiday Drive
The Girl's and Boy's Town of Oviedo is made up individual homes that house 5-6 children per home and each home has a live-in set of foster parents. These children are in foster care for different reasons and their ages range from infants to 18 years old. Based on the agency's recommendation, we collected hygiene and personal products as well as cash. We collected a large box of personal hygiene items, and with our cash donations we donated $575.00 in gift cards to Wal-Mart and Target. This was our most successful drive ever!
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