Last week, the Atlanta Hawks & Philips Arena team took a little break from our normal routine to give back to the community. Donned in the iconic “We Are The Highlight Factory” t-shirts, accountants put down their calculators, marketers stopped tweeting, and Harry the Hawk dropped the basketball for a few hours to pick up paintbrushes and screwdrivers. Our goal: to improve The Salvation Army William Booth Towers residences.
The sign in front of William Booth Towers welcomed the Atlanta Hawks & Philips Arena to their June service day.
(Photo Credit: Brandon Lee, vahi.patch.com)
The William Booth Towers is a home for the elderly, handicapped, and disabled. It’s owned and operated by The Salvation Army and provides people who qualify for a rent subsidy a great community in which to reside and participate.
When we arrived, many of the residents were low on furniture. Some didn’t have dressers or bookshelves; others needed a new bed. So, one team got to work building Ikea furniture: everything from dressers to bookshelves to a full kitchen table and chairs.
An intern works on building a dresser for one of the Booth Towers’ residents.
While they worked their fingers to the bone and did their best deciphering the picture book-esque instruction for the furniture, other teams painted the halls or transported new mattresses to appreciative residents.
A Philips Arena team member paints a hallway to make it look fresh and new.
Overall, the experience was humbling and rewarding. Not only did it provide the Atlanta Hawks & Philips Arena team a chance to work together in a different capacity and get to know each other a little better, it also provided us the chance to give back to our much deserving fans and fellow Atlantans.
We can’t wait for the next opportunity to get out and make a difference in our city!
Some interns give a fist bump to one of the residents of Booth Towers.
