GDRV 'barn raises' for local nonprofit

As part of its Go Grand community outreach initiative, Grand Design RV spent two days in late May and early June at Summit Camp in Michigan to assist Five Star Life in demolishing a pavilion and then beginning the construction of a new indoor facility to benefit the non-profit that gives back to area kids.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before," said Five Star Life Executive Director Seth Maust with a laugh during demo day as Grand Design team members began destructing an old, dilapidated pavilion. "These guys are tearing this place apart. I’ve never seen anybody work like this. Their supposed to have the whole day to do it and they are doing it in like half the time.”

More than 40 Grand Design team members volunteered on their day off to take part, including Kelly Mullens--who has a very personal attachment to this project. 

“This means way more to me than I could ever explain," said Mullens who has worked at Grand Design for four years as a line worker and in the service department. "I’d much rather be here for free than even be at work today making money because they’ve done so much for my family and my kids, especially my daughter who has struggled all through middle school and she is now a 'B' average student and she does love life a 100 times more and she is just a totally different kid than the year before she came to Five Star.” 

Giving Back is part of Grand Design’s Go Grand community outreach program and that means a lot to Kelly.

“Grand Design is the best company I’ve ever worked for," Kelly says. "The fact that they even do these things for the community makes its even better and makes me proud to work there and for them.”

But the work wasn’t done. Tear down was one day and eight days later another group of Grand Design team members were back putting up the frame work for a new building.

Once completed, Five Star Life will use this new facility for training.

“The life building project is such a huge deal," explains Maust. "It will impact tens of thousands of students and teachers in Michiana. They will learn how to go through our curriculum. It’s much need space that we’ve never had."

And now they will.

“When you can get an army of people to come out and really in a few hours change the way your landscape looks, change a building and then resurrect it--hat’s a shot in the arm for our whole staff, our students, our teachers," Maust says of Grand Design's impact. "They can see holy cow this thing is moving forward."

You can assist Five Star Life by making a donation at http://www.fivestarlife.org/donate.