David and Stephen Help Local Community Center Go Chic

In August of this year, employee volunteers from Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland decided to help and give local Hawthorns Adult Center’s kitchen and social area a bit of a makeover through a COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® project.

The adult center provides daycare for people who have been diagnosed with a learning disability. By offering a good mix of center-based activities, attendees can develop their social, educational and vocational skills. So our Carrickfergus colleagues were only too eager to help enhance that sense of community and support.

People Giving Their Time to Make a Difference

Two of our employee volunteers were David Dundas, warehouse and distribution manager, and Stephen Bell, transport supervisor.

Stephen is in charge of building and delivering customers’ orders. He feels #PPGProud about the way people from all areas of the company gave up their free time to help their community through this Colorful Communities project.

David has been with PPG for 31 years and is in charge of the day-to-day running of the Carrickfergus warehouse. His relationship with the Hawthorns Adult Center spans two decades, as PPG has been providing work experience for several of the center’s attendees in the warehouse David manages. This gives them the chance to work and see what it is like to be part of the PPG family.

Adding a Swish Coffee-Shop Touch

The theme of the project was about creating a special atmosphere for the people who use the center. So, the volunteers hit upon the idea of turning the center’s kitchen and social area into a plush coffee shop and transforming the visitor experience.

70 liters of Johnstone’s Cleanable Matt, Aqua Gloss, Aqua Undercoat and Ceiling Paint and the honest sweat of the enthusiastic volunteers later, a previously old and tired space became a chic “place-to-be”. PPG also fitted out the kitchen with a new floor, cupboards, wallpaper, fixtures and fittings to complete the coffee-shop-themed atmosphere.

A Community within a Community

Since the makeover, attendees can now benefit from the transformed space and sensory stimulation it provides. What was previously a tired area desperately in need of attention is now a special place that mirrors the warmth and support that the staff there provide. Marc Carey, center manager, puts it nicely.