Charities
Supporting communities through design.
VizX Design Studios proudly contributes to charitable projects, enhancing outdoor spaces for nonprofits and community initiatives across Chicagoland and nationwide.
Giving Back
Sustainable Heroes.
VizX Design Studios has teamed up with many organizations over the years to help communities in unique ways. We’re not only elevating outdoor living spaces for our clients, we’re also giving back to the communities around us.
A few years ago, we formed a group called Sustainable Heroes with celebrity landscaper Ahmed Hassan of HGTV’s Yard Crashers. Together we organized and developed the group to partner with other green industry professionals in support of charitable organizations, building outdoor living spaces and gardening projects nationwide.
We’ve assisted on projects around the country, from designing a fun outdoor living area for a two-year-old child with cancer in Miami Springs, FL, to installing a classroom garden for an elementary school in Glassboro, NJ, to a shared outdoor space for a women’s transitional home in Escondido, CA.
Every project was built by volunteers and specialty contractors from across the country. Most of the money was raised through donations from social media posts, and we received goods and services from large corporations and manufacturers like Southwest Airlines, Hertz Rental Cars, CASE Equipment, Skil Power Tools, Ramada Hotels, Hunter Industries, Corona Tools and many more.
Projects We’ve Been a Part Of
Outdoor spaces built by volunteers.
Each project was designed and built by Sustainable Heroes volunteers and specialty contractors, funded by donations and supported by generous sponsors.
Miami Springs, FL
#DaniellasWish
Press
Daniella Collazo, a precious two-year-old girl from Miami Springs, Florida, was diagnosed with Stage III Neuroblastoma on May 30, 2014, a very aggressive form of childhood cancer. She completed seven cycles of chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, followed by ultra-high-dose chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant.
Because her immune system was compromised, Daniella had to avoid public places, including public playgrounds, for up to a year. The Mystic Force Foundation reached out to celebrity landscaper Ahmed Hassan for help. He quickly called a friend, outdoor living designer Duane Draughon of VizX Design Studios, and the inaugural Sustainable Heroes project was underway.
Sponsors: City of Miami Springs · Deck King · Tremron · Quikrete · Southwest Airlines · Hertz Rental Cars · Plumbtech · My Splash Pad · Magic Irrigation · Pratt Guys · Genovations · ValleyCrest Landscape Management · Fun-N-Bounce · Morningstar Electric · Ramada Inn · Cascade Outdoor Living · Outdoor Surfaces, Inc. · ForeverLawn · Best Western Hotels · Euro Building · TraveLink · EB Hotel · Home Depot · Lowe’s · Panama Jack Outdoor Furniture
Dorothy L. Bullock School’s new garden grew from an idea, a tiny seed planted in teacher Sonya Harris’s imagination, and blossomed with the help of many others, including celebrity landscaper Ahmed Hassan and his team. Hassan, made famous by the DIY Network’s Yard Crashers and HGTV’s Turf War, was used to answering questions posed to him on social media. When Harris asked about starting a garden at her school on Facebook, he thought nothing of it at first.
“Usually when someone reaches out to me, I’ll try to answer the question and move on about my business,” Hassan said. “But the next thing I know, I get booked to do the Philly Home Show.” Harris and Hassan met in person at the show, and that’s when Hassan realized how much the garden, at that point little more than the seed of an idea, meant to her.
The garden build took place over the weekend of May 2–3, 2015. A group from the N.J. Agricultural Society trained teachers on May 6 and provided a free curriculum on how to incorporate garden lessons across subjects. Since then, Bullock students and teachers have used it as an outdoor classroom. Visit the Bullock Garden Project.
Escondido, CA
#AsterGarden
Press
Ahmed Hassan’s third charitable project of 2015, built November 21–22, created a serene outdoor space at a transitional home for women rebuilding their lives. A safe haven is an invaluable part of the healing process, and the team of Sustainable Heroes from around the country came together to provide a hand up, not a handout.
As the former host of DIY Network’s Yard Crashers, Hassan became a household name for transforming run-down outdoor spaces. Life hasn’t always been kind to him; he was once homeless himself, so he knows the importance of giving back. He also recognizes that it takes a team to bring these projects to life, including outdoor living designer Duane Draughon of VizX Design Studios, travel advisor Beverly Gallant of TraveLink American Express, and many other contributors from around the country who step up to help.
Sponsors: CASE Equipment · Panjia Turf · Laru Vision · Home Depot · Lowe’s · Hertz Rental Car · Monrovia Plants · Corona Tools · Stihl Power Equipment · Ramada Inn Hotels
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We take on a limited number of projects each season. Tell us a little about your home or property and we’ll schedule your discovery call.
