Stories of Our Communities
For us, community is not just a word. It’s the clients we support, the people we work alongside and the neighborhoods we help shape. The connections we make often lead to opportunities. But more importantly, they lead to purpose. When a community member needs help, they know who they can reach out to. When a client needs a team who understands their mission, they know REES will listen.
The impact of our work doesn’t end when a building is complete. It grows through the relationships we continue to nurture. And those connections are what makes our work matter.
These stories capture our connections to the communities we work in and the people that inspire us. They show the care we bring to every partnership and the pride we feel in being part of something bigger than ourselves.
Hands-on Design, Heart-Driven Service
What started as a simple favor became something far more meaningful for our firm. When Make-A-Wish Oklahoma called REES to help pick out carpet and paint for their new office, no one could have guessed how much it would change the course for REES.
“I don’t know what possessed me to do this, but I saw their plans and thought, they need better,” recalled Farooq Karim. “I called some friends and told them what I was thinking of doing. After asking them about it, they agreed to step in.”
Previously a restaurant, the new space needed more than finishes. It needed to exemplify the organization from the core. Our team stepped up without hesitation. Friends and coworkers rallied together, found donations and offered their own time and hands to bring the office to life. “We were asking and borrowing everything we could to make it happen,” Farooq said. “That’s why we laid the carpet ourselves… because we were trying to save money. It was a great experience.”
I called some friends and told them what I was thinking of doing. After asking them about it, they agreed to step in.
Farooq Karim
Some of us even learned how to lay carpet for the first time, figuring it out as we went because we believed so deeply in their mission. The Make-A-Wish office was a place where hope could thrive, where wishes and their families would feel surrounded by care.
The 4,500-square-foot renovated office includes two offices, a reception lobby, conference room, gallery room, wish room to meet with families, a break area and additional workspaces. The interior design relies heavily on artwork, graphics and quotes from children helped by the organization as well as original art pieces donated from local artists.
Looking back, that project planted something important in us. It helped us see how much design can do when it’s fueled by compassion. That one act of saying “yes” has led to years of working with impactful nonprofit partners. Make-A-Wish was the beginning of something much bigger than any of us expected, and we’re still grateful for that first step.
It felt like we renovated the whole block. Driving past later, you could see how much better it looked.
Kendall Macon
Rolling up Our Sleeves
For many years, our Dallas team spent two weekends each fall putting design tools aside and picking up paintbrushes, ladders and gloves. Through our partnership with Hearts and Hammers, REES had the opportunity to give back to the Dallas community in one of the most hands-on ways we know: helping restore the homes of neighbors in need.
Hearts and Hammers is a local nonprofit that provides free exterior home repairs for elderly homeowners, individuals with disabilities and veterans or military spouses who can no longer afford or manage the upkeep themselves. We scraped and painted, fixed wood trim and cleared overgrown yards. It made a tangible difference. You didn’t just see the transformation in the house. You saw it in the face of the homeowner.
Kendall Macon remembers one project vividly. “With the first Hearts and Hammers project I worked on, the homeowner was very appreciative,” Kendall shared. “We even built her a dog pen so her dog didn’t have to stay on a chain anymore. Seeing that change for her was really special.”
Our team often collaborated with contracting partners, forming a crew of both architects and contractors who weren’t afraid to sweat it out under the Texas sun. From battling poison ivy to climbing ladders for a second coat of paint, it was hard work. But the kind that left everyone smiling. Before-and-after photos always told the story best. A home once weathered and worn would be renewed by the end.
Some projects left an even bigger mark on the neighborhood itself.
“On the last one I participated in, the Hearts and Hammers group tackled about five houses on the same street,” Kendall recalled. “It felt like we renovated the whole block. Driving past later, you could see how much better it looked.”
The impact stayed with our team long after the paint had finished drying. Not only for the houses we helped restore, but for the people we met and the difference we made together. It was a reminder of why we love serving the communities we work in.
Passing on the Spark of Architecture
Giving back to the community can be done many different ways. In one special instance, it meant sitting at a table with the next generation, listening to their big dreams and helping them imagine what’s possible. That’s what our Houston team experienced at the ArcHERtect Workshop with the Architecture Center Houston, where kids ages 7-12 spent the day dreaming up their ultimate treehouses and garden designs.
Each child began by interviewing a partner, learning to think like architects as they asked questions, listened carefully and translated ideas into sketches. From there, they shaped those visions into models. Clay treehouses with tiny ladders, colorful flowers and slides that spiraled into make-believe.
“The kids’ excitement and creativity at the workshop brought me so much joy,” Johnna Heasley shared. “It reminded me that giving back has a way of sparking curiosity in everyone who’s there. Their big ideas had me wishing I could build a treehouse of my own!”
It was fun to watch the creativity of the students and see their inspirations come to life.
Anthony Furino
Our REES volunteers joined in the fun, guiding conversations, solving design puzzles and cheering on every idea. “We had an amazing experience working alongside future architects and designers, said Anthony Furino, REES Senior Associate and AIA Houston Kids and Architecture Committee Member. “It was fun to watch the creativity of the students and see their inspirations come to life.”
For the Houston team, this experience was a chance to pass on the joy of design, to encourage curiosity and to share in the wonder of seeing a vision come to life. In those moments, the future of architecture and design looked bright, and it was smiling back at us.
