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Veridian Homes Works With Charities, Police Dog Honored
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The Veridian Foundation donated $24,000 to the Madison, Wis. police department for the training of Gildon, second from left, one of the newest recruits in the city's K-9 corps. |
Veridian Homes, a builder in Madison, Wis., was honored earlier this year by the National Housing Endowment — the philanthropic arm of NAHB — for its work with Big Brothers Big Sisters and numerous other charitable and civic organizations. The builder even funded the training of a police dog.
For its efforts, Veridian Homes was awarded the 2006 Honorable Mention National Housing Endowment Builder Achievement Award for Outstanding Community Service — which includes a $2,500 donation to be directed to the charity of its choice — during the 2007 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla.
Veridian Homes is giving the donation to its community service foundation and charitable arm, the Veridian Foundation, which receives about 250 requests for assistance annually and provides support for those requests in amounts ranging from $500 to $40,000.
Since its founding three years ago, the foundation has donated $250,000 each year to charities and non-profit groups. In 2006 it provided assistance to more than 59 philanthropic organizations, including the Ellen & Peter Johnson Hospice Care Residence, where a special grieving room was built, and the Gathering Waters Conservancy. Veridian partnered with the conservancy to protect Wisconsin’s land trusts.
“The Veridian Foundation has been a life-long dream of mine and I am proud that it has been recognized,” said Viridian's Jeff Rosenberg. “It’s amazing to see how the foundation has rejuvenated our company, its employees and the community.”
Helping Raise $1.5 Million for Big Brothers Big Sisters
Veridian has helped Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County, Wis. raise more than $1.5 million during the past nine years, including $400,000 in 2006, through its “Incredible House Raffle.” Each year, Veridian sells a home to the one-to-one youth service organization at an extremely discounted price so Big Brothers Big Sisters could raffle the home to raise money. Veridian also helps fund the advertising to support the raffle.
Support Throughout the Community
Other recipients of the Veridian Foundation’s funds include Hammer with a Heart, Habitat for Humanity, Community Shares of Wisconsin, America’s Second Harvest and Gildon, a new police dog with the Madison Police Department.
“It’s an honor to receive this prestigious award and I encourage all builders to take a look at how they’re contributing,” said David Simon, Veridian’s president of operations. “We are all helping to build strong communities, not just homes.”
“The National Housing Endowment is proud to honor the tremendous charity work of Veridian Homes,” said Gary Garczynski, endowment chairman and 2002 NAHB president. “Not only did they create a special foundation, a separate entity dedicated entirely to funding charitable work in the community, Veridian employees work with youth, senior citizens in need and otherwise actively support the charities they assist monetarily. Their dedication shows once again that home builders not only build homes, they build communities.”
For more information on this award, visit www.nahb.org.
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