20 Good Deeds For Our 20th Anniversary Year
Dec. 30, 2009 - Good Deed No. 1 - Bill Lemon, president of BRYCON Construction, kicked off the 20th year celebration of the company early by announcing that he is donating $30,000 to the United Way of Central New Mexico. The donation is an increase from previous years, in which the company donated $25,000 annually. Of the donation, $5,000 will go to the Corporate Cornerstone program, which helps offset overhead for United Way so that 100 percent of all donations go directly to charity; $5,000 will go to the United Way Community Fund, which is United Way's fund for community programs; and $20,000 will go to support BRYCON's good deeds in the community. As a company, BRYCON is celebrating 20 great years in business by giving back 20 good deeds in the community. The good deeds will take place in both New Mexico and Arizona and will span all of 2010. The company was founded by Bryant W. Lemon Sr. in June of 1990. We are proud of our 20 years of service in the construction industry and are going to put that pride into action through our good deeds. In May, Bill voluntarily upped the company's contribution an additional $10,000 to make an even $40,000 annual donation.Jan. 6, 2010 - Good Deed No. 2 - BRYCON is kicking off our year of good deeds by Adopting a Highway. We are adopting a stretch of busy Paseo del Norte between Second Street and Rio Grande Blvd, through the New Mexico Department of Transportation. As part of our Adopt-A-Highway volunteer work, we agree to pick up trash along this stretch of roadway at least four times a year. Look for our BRYCON volunteers in our bright green and orange safety vests picking up trash on a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. Honk and wave when you see us! So far, we have picked up substantial amounts of litter on January 19, April 25 and June 25.
Jan. 12, 2010 - Good Deed No. 3 - In 2009, the team from BRYCON volunteered to serve the hungry in Albuquerque's Southeast Heights at Project Share. The folks from Project Share were so appreciative, they invited us back to serve approximately 150 men, women and children four times a year in 2010. The signature BRYCON menu is chili con carne, corn, salad, tortillas, peaches, fresh oranges and granola bars. Our first time feeding the hungry will be Tuesday Jan. 12. Other 2010 dates are April 6, July 13 and October 5. Usually, the team from BRYCON is between 13 and 20 people from upper managment to field crew, all working together to make life better for those who need a little extra help and a hot meal.
January 21, 2010 - Good Deed No. 4 - The earthquake in Haiti that has killed an estimated 250,000 people, destroyed the city of Port au Prince and ruined untold lives, motivated the staff and hourly employees to set up a collection fund for Haitian disaster relief. When BRYCON president, Bill Lemon, heard about the collection, he instantly agreed to match dollar-for-dollar what the employees collected. "It really moved me to see the guys opening up their wallets and putting money in the fund," said Bill. The employees contributed $800, which was donated to the United Way of Central New Mexico. With the company match, BRYCON donated $1,600 to the American Red Cross for Haitian Disaster Relief.
February 25, 2010 - Good Deed No. 5 - The team from the Ocotillo plant in Chandler, AZ did their calesthenics and got in shape to participate in the 6th annual Pat's Run. The race is held in honor of Pat Tillman, the late Arizona Cardinals player and Army Ranger who was killed in Afghanistan. Annually, about 20,000 people participate in the 4.2-mile run, which ends inside the Cardinals stadium. Proceeds from the run are used to fund scholarships for Americans in the Armed Forces and their dependants. The run took place on April 17, 2010. The BRYCON team members who ran were Janae Patterson, Melissa Smith, Iris Howell, Michael DeLos and Tom Martin. Awesome job, team!
March 13, 2010 - Good Deed No. 6 - The mechanical and structural teams from BRYCON showed their hearts are in the right places when they volunteered to bring the playground at Peanut Butter & Jelly Family Services up to code. PB&J is a South Valley family counseling center that provides parent education and early intervention to prevent child abuse and to strengthen families. The playground at their facility was upgraded by Bernalillo County in 2009, which had provided modern colorful equipment surrounded by poured rubber surfacing. Unfortunately, there wasn't funding to add gravel to the playground, which serves children from ages two to about eight. BRYCON donated 23 tons of 3/8-inch pea gravel, plus donated the manpower to move the gravel into the playground and level it. The project was led by Richard Montoya, of the mechanical crew, who wanted the company to do a "good deed" in the South Valley, where he lives. He estimated the amount of gravel, coordinated the work and found others to donate the use of a skid steer to spread the gravel. Sixteen hard-working volunteers showed up to shovel gravel, spread it smooth and improve drainage in the playground. Volunteers included Richard Montoya, Randy Casaus, Nathan Casaus, Wally Smith, Mike Rempkowski, Hunter Torrez, Walner Linares, Brian Morgan, Charlotte Lane, Jorge Hernandez and Joey Anzures. Chris Cottle from the structural division manned a donated skid steer and was accompanied by his family, wife, Janet, daughter, Cody and son, Kyle, who is a Cub Scout. In addition, former employee Tim Tsosie showed up to help his friends. The team was recognized by officials from PB&J, the County of Bernalillo and other dignitaries at an open house and dedication on April 23.
March 19, 2010 - Good Deed No. 7 - BRYCON believes in education, especially in math, science and engineering, which are the cornerstones of the construction industry. Recently, the company put that belief into action by volunteering the services of two employees to act as judges for the Central New Mexico Science and Engineering Challenge. The mega-science fair examines projects from winning regional middle and high-school students from around Central New Mexico. Gary Benavidez, a project manager and a graduate in mechanical engineering from the UNM College of Engineering, and Aaron Briggs, a project engineer and a graduate in construction management from UNM, served as judges. In addition, BRYCON funded $500 worth scholarships, which were split between three students. One award went to a middle-school student for a project entitled "Impact of Reflectors on Solar Cells" and one award was split by two high-school students who teamed up on a project entitled "Water as an Alternative Fuel." Those two students and their project were selected to compete in the International Science Fair later this year.
April 17, 2010 - Good Deed No. 8 - Not every good deed has to involve a lot of work. Some good deeds can be fun too! The office staff at BRYCON volunteered to participate in Bowl for Kids' Sake, a fund-raising venture of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters. The mass bowling event at Santa Ana Casino in Bernalillo is the single biggest fund-raising event for the nonprofit organization. BRYCON fielded a five-person team called the "BRYCON Pin Busters" for the competition and is also donating $500 to the organization as the company's "entry fee."
April 21, 2010 - Good Deed No. 9 - After almost two years of working on the campus of the New Mexico School for the Deaf, the team from BRYCON decided to sponsor three field trips for the kids to visit the newly opened New Mexico History Museum just off the Santa Fe Plaza. BRYCON's construction crews started working on the campus in 2008, first building a maintenance facility and currently renovating and building the $5 million Connor Hall, which is the second oldest building on campus. BRYCON coordinated the efforts with Keri-Lynn McBride, development director of the school, who arranged for students, teachers and interpreters to take the field trips. The first field trip was April 21, when 14 middle school students, two teachers and two interpreters toured the museum. Students from the elementary school will take the museum field trip on May 13 and students from the high school will go on May 18. The mid-school students were so appreciative of the opportunity to get out of class on a fine spring day, they presented BRYCON with a plaque and posed for photos with the BRYCON field crew. The field trips were free to the students, so BRYCON has donated $250 to the cash-strapped New Mexico School for the Deaf and another $250 to the New Mexico Museum Foundation. The foundation will use the money to a seed a fund to help defray the cost of renting busses to shuttle other students from around the state to the History Museum.
April 27, 2010 - Good Deed No. 10 - When the elders from the Hopi Tribe and the Moenkopi Developers Corp. asked BRYCON for a sizable donation to stage a magnificent grand opening ceremony for the Moenkopi Legacy Inn and Suites, the company quickly agreed. BRYCON's Arizona office built the Monekopi Legacy Inn near Tuba City, AZ, which was recently given the RED Award by AZRE, the magazine of commercial real estate in Arizona in recognition of the challenges of building a luxury hotel deep in Hopi country. The grand opening celebration was April 27, when every one from the Hopi Tribe and neighbors from the nearby Navajo reservation was invited to tour the hotel, eat and be treated to music and entertainment. BRYCON president Bill Lemon presented the Hopi Tribe with a large ceremonial check at the grand opening, to express our pride in being part of the first economic development project in the Upper Village of Moenkopi in the past 50 years.
May 5, 2010 - Good Deed No. 11 - On Cinco de Mayo, a team from Arizona volunteered with the St. Vincent de Paul society to help the organization ready for the evening's celebration. St. Vincent de Paul is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the poor. Programs in Arizona include service for the homeless, medical and dental care for the working poor, and a dining room that serves more than 4,000 meals. The organization also provides a thrift store, a transitional housing shelter and general assistance for individuals in need. Nine team members from BRYCON assisted in getting the dining room ready for the big Cince de Mayo meal by painting, decorating tables, setting up for bingo and making salsa. In addition, the team provided unused building plans for children to use for arts and crafts projects. The team also collected clothing, towels and backpacks, which are always in high demand at the shelter.
May 8, 2010 - Good Deed No. 12 - In conjunction with the U.S. Post Office and the Roadrunner Food Bank, 15 members of the BRYCON team volunteered to "Help Stamp Out Hunger." For this food drive, postal letter carriers collect food from the people on their routes and take it back to their postal substations. BRYCON's volunteers unloaded the nonperishable food from the postal trucks at three substations and placed it in Roadrunner Food Bank trucks to be distributed around the state. Roadrunner Food Bank is the largest food provider in New Mexico and serves more than 600 emergency food banks around the state. Annually, Roadrunner provides more than 22 million pounds of food for the hungry, serving approximately 240,000 New Mexicans. In addition, BRYCON was able to collect food for Help Stamp Out Hunger. Stay tuned to this space to find out how much food BRYCON was able to collect to help the hungry.
May 19, 2010 - Good Deed No. 13 - Imagine the dismay of third grade teacher Sylvia Sosa de Chavez when a planned field trip for her students from East San Jose Elementary fell apart due to lack of less than $200 to rent a bus. She appealed for help to her brother-in-law, Carl Aldridge, a valued BRYCON employee, and Carl's wife, Michelle. Carl knew about BRYCON's commitment to 20 good deeds and decided to ask Bill Lemon for help. Bill quickly agreed to pay for a bus to transport the children to meet their pen pals in the third grade at Adobe Acres Elementary. Not only did the company donate the money for the school bus, but BRYCON also donated a cook out at East San Jose for kids from both schools. The field trip took place on May 19. Apparently students from East San Jose, which is located in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Albuquerque, had been participating in a correspondence project all year with fellow students from Adobe Acres. The teachers from the two schools had planned all year to sponsor a field trip so the kids could meet face to face. The teachers just didn't realize bus rental was so costly and would have cancelled the field trip without BRYCON's assistance.
June 3, 2010 - Good Deed No. 14 - When a member of BRYCON's team picked up a copy of the Rio Rancho Journal and read the story of Joshua Alberti, a Rio Rancho High School student who desperately needs a kidney transplant, she knew the company needed to help. BRYCON president, Bill Lemon, agreed. So the company immediately made a $500 donation to the Children's Organ Transplant Association, a national nonprofit that assists families in raising money for expensive transplant operations. But our commitment to help Joshua and his family hasn't ended there. We took up a collection from our employees and started selling soda's for $1 each. Recently, we were able to make a donation to Joshua's donation bank account of more than $840. The soda sales continue and we were recently able to deposit an additional $225 to Joshua's COTA account. In November, we donated an additional $212 to his COTA account from soda sales and donations. In all, BRYCON has donated approximately $1,770 to help with Josh's surgery. Our prayers are with this fine young man and his wonderful family.
June 12, 2010 - Good Deed No. 15 - Folks in the construction industry are used to getting dirty but playing Mudd Volleyball is really, really dirty work. It's also a lot of fun and a chance to help out a worthy cause. The annual Mudd Volleball usually attracts thousands of participants and raises much-needed funds for the Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation, which treats severely ill and disabled children from around New Mexico. Once again, BRYCON has a team in place to slip, fall, flounder and roll in the mud while occasionally hitting the ball. The event will be June 12. The event raised more than $450,000 for the Foundation. Way to go everyone!
June 19, 2010 - Good Deed No. 16 - BRYCON is once again helping out Peanut Butter & Jelly Family Services, this time at their facility in Bernalillo. Every year, the summer monsoons turn the parking lot into a pool of mud, making it all but impassible for clients of the facility. However this year, BRYCON is spreading seven tons of crusher fines in the parking lot to keep it from becoming a muddy mess. Once again, Richard Montoya of the Mechanical crew, organized the work.
June 25, 2010 - Good Deed No. 17 - Sgt. Kristy LaFrance was a truck driver in the Army in 2004 when her vehicle -- the 14th in a convoy -- was struck by a remote-controlled roadside bomb. After six years of rehabilitation through the VA, she is walking and able to participate in a nonprofit program called Horses for Heroes. Horses for Heroes was started by former Army Ranger Rick Iannucci to help combat veterans reconnect with civilian society through horses, horsemanship and the "Cowboy Lifestyle." Iannucci has been using his own four horses for the therapy, but can barely meet the demand from returning veterans. Kristy LaFrance had her own horse, Lacey, in Indiana, but couldn't afford the cost to transport Lacey to New Mexico. Iannucci called on BRYCON to help pay the cost of transporting Lacey. Now LaFrance will be able to care for Lacey every day and continue her journey toward healing. BRYCON may not be able to make a difference in the lives of every brave man and woman who have served their country in the Armed Forces, but we were able to make a difference in the life of Kristy LaFrance and her family. We are understandably proud of Sgt. LaFrance's service to our country and proud to have been able to perform a good deed in her honor.
July 16, 2010 - Good Deed No. 18 - Frightening statistics show that the children of prison inmates are 70 percent more likely to end up in prison themselves. BRYCON responded to a plea from the Wings Ministry to help sponsor their annual inspirational banquet for the children and families of people are incarcerated. Wings Ministry is a faith-based program that was started 15 years ago by Ann Edenfield Sweet, whose husband was incarcerated and left her and four children penniless and alone. She has written a comprehensive book on surviving the incarceration of a loved one. Wings Ministry puts on on-going, year-round classes, programs and counseling for inmates' families.
July 29, 2010 - Good Deed No. 19 - Many of BRYCON's "good deeds" have been the direct result of our employees seeing needs in the community that the company could address. That was the case for Good Deed No. 19. BRYCON employee Steve Johnston alerted Bill Lemon about a weekly program called Operation Outreach, which provides food and high-quality street medicine for the homeless from a donated RV. Many of the clients of Operation Outreach are heroin addicts, sex workers, alcoholics, mentally disabled people and those who suffer from AIDS. Operation Outreach provides needle exchange, treatment for AIDS, and medical care for other ailments. In addition, the program provides hot dogs and water to its clients. According to Art Salazar, a Department of Health employee who runs the under-funded program, the food is a powerful lure to attract the clients to the RV for treatment. For years, the volunteers bought the hot dogs out of their own pockets. When Bill learned about the desperate need for food, he immediately volunteered to sponsor the food and water for the program for the rest of 2010. "It has made such an incredible difference to not have to worry about trying to find food," said Salazar.
August 15, 2010 - Good Deed No. 20 - Well, the fine employees of BRYCON Construction reached our 20th good deed of the year and the consensus among us was "why stop now?" We are going to continue to do good deeds through the rest of the year. Our 20th good deed was to donate the decorative stone to build a colorful blue and white "spirit" circle for the Rio Rancho High School, featuring the school's mascot a Rio Rancho Ram. BRYCON supplied the stone, but the Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout candidates supplied the labor to build the sign.
