National Non-Profit Day
Published by: DCOCF Marketing, August 17th, 2022
Introduction:
National Nonprofit Day is commemorated on August 17 each year to recognize nonprofit organizations’ ongoing efforts to serve the local community. If you’ve ever volunteered, you’re well aware of the significance that nonprofit organizations bring to the community. Nonprofits throughout the country help promote awareness and offer assistance to those who are not able to afford it. These organizations create opportunities to better the communities around us and help us give back. During National Non-profit day, we want to shine a light on our projects built for non-profits. DCO is dedicated to making a difference and partnering on these projects #builtforbetter.
Over the years DCO has been blessed with several nonprofit projects, and has had the opportunity to come alongside these organizations to provide a top level of service, creating better facilities for the community. Our most recent non-profit projects included the Hope House, Must Ministries, and the Atlanta Mission.
The Hope House Lodge
The Hope House Lodge is a place for families of cancer patients to stay while the patients are being treated at the Emory location in Decatur, Ga. The Atlanta Hope Lodge has provided free housing to more than 14,000 cancer patients and caregivers, helping them save more than $42 million. The hope house offers a solution to cancer patients when the best treatment options are far from home. It’s not simply a place to stay, but it’s a home away from home helping to alleviate the strain of travel, and some of the financial and emotional burdens faced by families during this tough time.
Our Scope:
DCO Commercial Floors’ was proud to be a part of this project, and all of the lives it has impacted. During the project, the DCO team installed 20,000 feet of tile, 23,000 feet of lvt, upo floor in the dining area, along with 1200 yards of carpet tile. There were 5000 linear feet of millwork base installed, and forbo walk-off mats. Carndean loose lay longboard was installed in all 64 units.
History:
The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Atlanta opened in 1988 and was renovated in 2021. It offers 57 guest rooms located near the treatment centers in the area.
Established in 1970, the Charleston, SC Hope Lodge was the first facility of its kind in the country for cancer patients and caregivers. The concept came from Margot Freudenberg, a leader in the Charleston medical and business communities who saw a similar facility while traveling through Australia and New Zealand with President Eisenhower’s People to People Ambassador Program. After her own family was touched by cancer, Margot was determined to establish the very first Hope Lodge community in Charleston. Now a nationwide program of the American Cancer Society, over 30 Hope Lodge facilities in the United States and Puerto Rico serve patients and caregivers from all over the world.
What the Hope House Lodge means to DCO:
DCO’s Jeremy Friedman was awarded this project in July of 2020, and DCO was able to contribute to the American Cancer society cause with a donation toward the American Cancer Society while completing this project. Jeremy Friedman has been with DCO Commercial Floors for 6 years and worked with the project team to complete this scope of work during the covid-29 pandemic. The project presented many challenges because of this, but DCO was able to push past the difficulties to complete this project on time. This was a fast-paced job with all the workings of COVID-19 and restrictions.
This project holds a special place in Jeremy Friedman’s heart. Jeremy’s father was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and completed treatment at the Emory treatment center. Jeremy is grateful to have been a part of this project, because of the impact it has made on so many lives, including his. Click the link here to learn more about this project.
Must Ministries:
About:
MUST addresses the basic needs of individuals, families and children with facilities in the Cobb and Cherokee counties and programs in numerous other counties. MUST brings people of many faiths together to respond to God’s challenge to minister to others with compassion and love, without judgment of the beliefs, background or circumstances of those who serve or are being served.
MISSION
Serving our neighbors in need … transforming lives and communities in response to Christ’s call.
VISION
To become Georgia’s most respected Servant Leader — Restoring lives one person and one community at a time.
Our Scope:
DCO Commercial Floors recently completed the Must Hope House for Must Ministries, located in Marietta, Georgia. The Must Hope House is run by a small staff and an army of volunteers. They offer two basic programs including a short-term care program and a long-term care program.
For short-term help, they offer food, clothing, and shelter with the ability to house entire families. For long-term needs, they provide employment assistance and support groups. The facility has a large commercial kitchen used to provide warm meals through the Loaves and Fishes Community Kitchen, which serves almost 80,000 meals a year.
We completed the luxury vinyl tile, carpet, cove base, stair treads, and ceramic tile on the project. Our partners at Batson Cook Construction, Brian Doxey and Jonathan Collard, helped provide a world-class facility to a deserving group #builtforthecommunity.
Atlanta Mission:
DCO Commercial Floors is committed to being a good company steward of our employees’ resources and time. The firm has looked to strategically align itself with firms that speak to the passions and concerns of the team members at the company. Recently, DCO Commercial Floors held a professional clothing drive for the Atlanta Mission Community. After working with the Atlanta Mission team this past year, we were deeply moved by the work they are doing to provide shelter and resources to prevent homelessness in the Atlanta area. We knew that we had the perfect opportunity to get our employees involved by conducting a professional clothing drive during our recent employee summit. Our employees from all our offices brought in men’s and women’s professional clothing to donate to the shelter so that they can be used by the residents to use for interviews and daily professional wear.
About:
Near the end of the Great Depression, Atlanta Mission began as a soup kitchen to provide food for displaced, homeless men. Over the last 82 years, we have served thousands of individuals facing homelessness across Metro Atlanta by providing services and transformation to their lives. Here is a glimpse of the journey we have been on since we first opened our doors in 1938 to where we are at today. 
In 1947, we received 501(3)(c) status and officially became inducted into the community as a nonprofit organization. In addition to providing shelter and food for those experiencing homelessness, we expanded our services in 1967 to offer recovery services to men. The Potter’s House, a 550-acre farm in Jefferson, Georgia, opened as a way to offer long-term residential recovery programs to men faced with addiction. Our recovery services are a vital part of how we operate today. We believe that these services allow our clients to overcome the cause of their homeless by following a holistic approach.
Soon after expanding our services for men, we became the first entity in the city of Atlanta, and the United States, to offer shelter and other services to women experiencing homelessness, in 1969. My Sister’s House, our facility for women and children, expanded in 2003 to provide emergency services and recovery care to 264 women each day. And in 2008, The Shepherd’s Inn, our shelter for men, expanded to feed 1,000 meals and house 450 men every day. Click here to learn more about our work with the Atlanta Mission.
Our Scope:
DCO Commercial Floors provided protective wall-cladding and flooring surfaces for the women and children’s facility for the Atlanta Mission. Our project team went in to provide hygienic surfaces in all areas including the playground for safety and functionality.
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About the firm: DCO Commercial Floors is a nationwide flooring dealer that is committed to being a flooring solutions leader for all finishes, bridging the gap between traditional floor covering and modern access flooring solutions. We provide comprehensive project management so that your project is smooth from the estimating stages to breaking down the bid, and procurement, from installation to closeout. DCO will provide and deliver on all facets to become the partner of choice for your project.