Giving Back

Designs By Sundown has been involved with landscape projects to improve our community dating back to the founding days of the company.  The owner, Michael Hommel, believes in giving back to the local community where he was born and raised and started his landscape business some 30+ years ago.

A volunteer team of employees formed a committee many years ago with the sole purpose of selecting deserving projects in need of landscaping. Their mission is to select projects that will beautify and enhance our community and/or enrich and improve the lives of others in need. These requests are submitted from local charities and non-profits.

The committee selected two special projects last fall that were installed earlier this spring:

Army Veteran in Golden: Tyler Wilson was instantly paralyzed from the waist down from enemy fire attempting a rescue mission during the Iraq War. He sacrificed so much and now his wish is to live as “normal” of a life as he can which includes the ability to freely move around his home and enjoy his family. The completed low-maintenance landscape includes synthetic grass (front and back), trees and plantings, railing for the wheel chair ramp, boulder accents, lighting along the wall and ramp and steppers on the side of the home.  Plus, there is space for a future play set so Tyler can enjoy his new son. This was a very special landscape since we watched Tyler gained access to his backyard for the first time since moving into this home a year ago.

St. Mary Magdalene Convent in Denver: The nuns of Sisters of Life reside at a convent on the grounds of St. Mary Magdalene’s Church in Denver. The interior of the convent had recently been renovated but the outdoor space was an overgrown mess. Designs By Sundown became aware of this project from a client who knew the church did not have the resources to make improvements. Our volunteer team set out to transform this eyesore into a peaceful prayer retreat for the nuns and church-goers as well.  A full day was spent doing demolition and ripping out the existing landscape and fence so the project could even start. Next, a paver courtyard was installed and then our volunteers spent a Saturday installing all the plantings and trees, added irrigation and, the finishing touch was outdoor lighting. In a recent note of thanks from the nuns, they mentioned their “yard” has been upgraded to a park and that their new courtyard “brings a smile to their faces several times a day.”

Thank you to our vendors and trade partners for donating materials to make both projects possible. It is an honor to work on these amazing projects and witness, first hand, how what we do as landscapers does improve our world and bring happiness to others.