Team members from Legend Homes, the engineers and builders of the 2021 HomeAid Project Playhouse, were on hand to present the ceremonial key to the Union Station Playhouse winners on Aug. 25, prior to the Astros vs. the Kansas City Royals game.

Blake Roberts, Legend Homes president and CEO, and Tanya Rizzo, Legend Homes COO, joined James Miller, president of HomeAid, Carole Brady, executive director of HomeAid and Kendall McDermott, HomeAid fund development chair, at the iconic Phillips 66 Pump on the concourse level of Minute Maid Park to present the key on camera to Kelley Jacob — the winning ticket holder — and his wife Nicole during the team’s warm-up period.

Also attending the ceremony was Blake McGregor, senior vice president and CCO Land Services for EHRA Engineering, a Hall of Fame Sponsor; Kortney Nichols, account manager for Rock Materials, a Hall of Fame Sponsor and Dana Rodgers of First American Title Homebuilder Services, a Grand Slam Sponsor.

“This is a proud moment for the entire HomeAid team,” said Miller, “and that includes the Playhouse builder, who spent months designing and building it. The Jacob children will be taking advantage of all the perks the Union Station Playhouse offers. It has been a successful fundraiser for HomeAid. Even with the restrictions COVID created, Project Playhouse raised record funds.”

The Project Playhouse Union Station design was inspired by Minute Maid Park’s iconic Union Station that is reminiscent of the charm and classic look of an actual train station. The playhouse features several amenities, such as air conditioning, a television, a window seat, toy storage, a play table, a rock-climbing wall, and a rooftop deck with a telescope.

The Jacob family ultimately decided to accept Union Station Playhouse but also have committed as a family, to “play it forward,” meaning that although they will be accepting the playhouse, they are planning to pay the notion forward by donating it in the future to a non-profit agency that HomeAid currently has a working relationship with. Long term the structure will eventually land at SEARCH’s House of Tiny Treasures.

SEARCH’s House of Tiny Treasures is Houston’s first nationally accredited early childhood development center dedicated to serving homeless children and families. Their mission is to provide comprehensive early care, education, and therapeutic services to assist homeless children and families in building stable, functional lives.

This is the 15th year for HomeAid Project Playhouse, a partnership with the Houston Astros and the Astros Foundation that has raised more than $1 million that goes toward HomeAid’s mission “to help people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, build new lives through construction, community engagement and education.”

Since 2003, HomeAid has completed 77 projects, adding or impacting 1,800-plus beds, that translates into more than 1.3 million nights of sleep and a valued added in housing and improvements of $16-plus million.

For more information on HomeAid Houston, visit www.homeaidhouston.org or call 281-970-8970.