Two-year-old Emory Pitts, daughter of Heery International Marketing Coordinator Regina Pitts, helps her mother plant flowers at the Midway Recreation Center in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of Heery from the Heart Community Service Month.

5.19.11 | Atlanta, GA -- Heery International sent more than 400 volunteers into communities across the country in April for Heery from the Heart Community Service Month, the firm’s annual community outreach program. Employees participate in events primarily focused on children/schools, home building/repair, and the environment — three areas that reflect the company’s culture and expertise.

Beneficiaries of Heery from the Heart Community Service Month 2011 included Atlanta ParkPride (Georgia); DeKalb County Parks and Recreation (Georgia); Worcester Community Action Council (Massachusetts); Trillium Creek Primary School (West Linn, Oregon); Hands on Jacksonville (Florida); and the City of West Hollywood (California).

Bill Heitz, Heery’s President and an active volunteer, was impressed by the number of volunteers who brought their children to participate in activities ranging from painting recreation centers to cleaning up local parks.

Teenager Alex Jardine helps his father, Heery International South Region Manager and Vice President Glenn Jardine, with painting the Briarwood Recreation Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The Jardine men were participating in Heery from the Heart Community Service Month.

“The needs of communities across the country are great. While we can’t eliminate issues overnight, we can roll up our shirtsleeves and take an active part in addressing those needs,” Heitz says. “It’s rewarding to see employees help their children understand the value of giving back and enable them to experience the sense of pride and joy that comes from this type of work. It’s also a great way for families to spend time together.”

Heery from the Heart Community Service Month was honored in 2010 with a national Communitas Award, which recognizes companies that exemplify excellence in community outreach efforts.

Heery International is an 800-person architecture, interior design, engineering, program management and construction management firm with offices nationwide. As an affiliated company of Parsons Brinckerhoff, one of the world’s leading professional service companies, Heery now operates as that firm’s U.S. buildings operating company. (www.heery.com)