News Release
Camarillo, CA – BrightView, one of the nation’s leading commercial landscape companies took two days to do some much-needed work on Casa Pacifica’s main Camarillo Campus including brush clearing, trimming, and general maintenance. BrightView reached out to their clients to “donate a day” which would enable BrightView to redirect the crew that would normally work on the company’s property to work on Casa Pacifica’s landscaping instead. The generous client partners include JLL of Thousand Oaks, City of Westlake Community Park, La Ventana HOA in Ventura, Westlake Park Place and others. Thanks to their clients’ generosity, BrightView was able to send 12-man crews from the Ventura and Conejo Valley branches for two full days. BrightView focused on an overgrown area between Casa Pacifica’s main driveway and the housing for transitional-aged youth, also known as the TYS program.
“We started our TYS dream in 2011 with some abandoned houses. To say they were in dire need would be a severe understatement. Ten years later and well over 100 youth served in just these houses and we still have some of the same issues with overgrowth…until now. My first meeting with BrightView was great, they showed up with a team of six managers simply asking, ‘How can we help support you? We love what you do.’ We can’t thank BrightView enough for believing in and supporting Casa Pacifica,” Robert Van Gundy, Casa Pacifica Facility Manager.
Ryan Smith, Business Developer for BrightView initially thought of the idea to donate BrightView crew time when he participated in the drive-thru-campus car show in August of 2020 with his own car. The car show took the participants on a loop through campus and Smith noticed some areas they could help with. “Driving through the parade in my classic 1970 Chevy C20 I could see some landscape areas in poor condition that needed attention including potential irrigation leaks – water running down the parking lots. I had an overwhelming feeling of wanting help so I took mental notes of where BrightView could make the most impact. I brought the volunteering services idea to Scott soon after and without hesitation he said – tell me more!”
Scott Godfrey, Vice President and General Manager of BrightView’s Maintenance Services Operations for the Central Coast commented on the project, “Living in the area, I have passed by the Camarillo headquarters many times and often wondered how we could help. It only seemed logical to work with our teams and partners to help create a safe environment for the staff, the children and young adults that Casa Pacifica serves. We are so grateful to our client partners who have graciously donated a day of their service to make these days possible. It is a true honor to have the opportunity to give back to our community.”
Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families is a crisis-care and residential treatment facility for foster or at-risk children in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Its mission is to restore hope, enhance resilience, and strengthen community connections for children, young adults and families at the most challenging times of their lives. The agency is the largest non-profit provider of children’s mental health services in both counties and administers a number of community-based programs designed to strengthen families and keep children in their homes and communities. Casa Pacifica is also a foster family agency, which recruits and trains families for potential placement with a foster youth. For more information about Casa Pacifica visit its website www.casapacifica.org or call the Development & Public Relations Department at (805) 445-7800.
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