On April 15, more than 350 Ewing Irrigation employees and partners converged at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School in Dallas to renovate a campus irrigation system and build a football field, community garden and outdoor entertainment area.
The undertaking was part of Ewing’s second annual PRIDE Project.
“As part of our community outreach efforts, we select a project in a community with a need for what we can provide,” said Warren Gorowitz, VP of sustainability. “St. Philip showed an enthusiasm for our interest in the project from the beginning, and everyone from the school we came into contact with had a great appreciation for the things we were doing.”
Landscapes Unlimited, Mesa Verde Landscape, Precision Pavers and Environs Group partnered with Ewing on the four main projects, which included the following.
With the school’s coach and physical education teacher, George West, hoping to bring football back to the community, Ewing repaired the multipurpose athletic field, installing an eight-zone irrigation system with central control, new sod for a flat, safe surface to play and other improvements such as repainting the bleachers, field and foul lines and the installation of tackling dummies and a snack bar.
Ewing and partners also built 10 garden beds for the school and church community to grow vegetables and provide a hands-on learning experience for the students. Principal Carol Catalano said the school is planning to donate what it has grown to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which provides hot meals to deserving families.
Intended to give the church and school a place to congregate, volunteers installed an outdoor entertainment area complete with paver patio, landscape lighting and an outdoor sound system.
Additionally, the companies performed a campus-wide irrigation system renovation at the school and church to make it more water efficient.
“The highlight of the day was when the students came out to say ‘thank you’ and wave as we finished our work,” said Doug York, Ewing president. “This is why we do what we do.”
Additional partners who donated materials and labor included Landscape Products, Hunter Industries, Baseline Irrigation Systems, Pavestone, Sunbelt Rentals, Corona Tools, North Texas Landscaping, Majestic Outdoor Lighting, Lawn Master Irrigation, Moon Visions Lighting, Philips Hadco, World Class Paints, WWIP, AquaSmart Pro, Bonus Crop, Graco, NDS, Service Wire and JM Eagle.
