Photo Credit: Project BeaconNews
All Hands-on Deck: Lowe’s Red Vest Day transforms Project Beacon’s Campus
Project Beacon’s campus came alive with energy, teamwork, and community spirit as more than two dozen Lowe’s executives, store managers, and Red Vest Associates rolled into Oak Ridge North for a Lowe’s Red Vest Workday—powered by a $105,000 Lowe’s Hometowns Grant. What unfolded was nothing short of transformational.
Lowe’s volunteers spent the day building, painting, lifting, cleaning, and creating—turning vision into reality as they constructed Project Beacon’s new Outdoor Classroom and Recreation Area, a vital expansion of the Beacon Access Center designed to give neurodiverse adults access to calming natural spaces and hands-on learning experiences.
The crew power-washed the building’s entrance, built new hanging racks for clients’ personal items, refreshed paint, and shaped the outdoor environment into a place where peace, skill-building, and connection will flourish. Custom-built picnic tables and raised garden beds will now provide sensory-friendly spaces where clients can gather, learn, and experience the therapeutic benefits of gardening and nature.
In the midst of this high-impact workday, the Lowe’s team delivered an unforgettable surprise: an 86″ Vizio TV for Project Beacon’s Zen Zone and a 43″ TV for the staff lunchroom, purchased from a personal collection taken up by Lowe’s team members themselves. The moment Executive Director Kelly Baughman received the unexpected gifts captured the heart of the day—kindness, humanity, and the belief that community rises strongest when it rises together.
The Outdoor Classroom and Recreation Area is just one component of Project Beacon’s broader Lowe’s Hometowns Project, which also includes upgrades such as durable new flooring, improved lighting and communication systems, sensory-friendly features, and wayfinding signage—key improvements that ensure our entire campus remains a fully inclusive, neurodiverse-affirming environment where individuals with autism and other neurodiversities can thrive.
Lowe’s Hometowns, now in its fourth year, is part of Lowe’s $100 million, five-year commitment to revitalizing the places that matter most in communities nationwide. In 2025, the program is supporting nearly 1,800 projects—100 of them large-scale renovations—benefiting millions of people through initiatives ranging from community gardens and food pantries to veteran support programs and affordable housing.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Chris Smith, Regional Manager for District 852; Jermaine Brown, Conroe Store Manager and Lowe’s Hometowns Project Manager; Jacob Tobias, The Woodlands Store Manager; fellow Store Managers; Red Vest Associates; and Vendor Partners from Leaf Home for lending their time, skill, and passion to this project. Your generosity has left a lasting mark on our campus—and on the lives of the neurodiverse adults we proudly serve.
We also wish to recognize Monica Bomkamp-Enia and the Young Adult Volunteers from Education for Tomorrow Alliance who showed up with smiles and a willingness to partner with Red Vest mentors to build racks, patch, and paint walls. and clean windows. Great work, team!
Project Beacon is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in 2021 and based in Montgomery County, Texas. We provide sustainable, life-changing solutions for the educational, vocational, social, and residential needs of the neurodiverse community. The Beacon Access Center in Oak Ridge North serves adults from Montgomery and North Harris County, offering a place where neurodiverse individuals can learn, grow, and be vital, visible members of our community. Learn more at projectbeacontx.org.
Source: Project Beacon
