Faith-based business serving StreetWise with shrubs and soil

They’re not your average landscapers. And the impact they’ve made – both on and through StreetWise – is more than could ever have been expected.

New Leaf Landscape Services has been in business since 1989 and has offices in Gainesville and Lawrenceville. Their number one priority doesn’t have anything to do with sod, shrubs or soil – but service.

“We have several core values – our number one is to have a servant’s heart, and that is from Matthew 20:28 when Jesus said, ‘The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many,’” said Josh Everett, New Leaf’s Vice President of Business Development.

“Without a customer to serve, we really don’t have anything to do, and Jesus modeled what it means to serve others, serve your community, serve your customers, serve your team, so we adopted that.”

New Leaf has gone further than just saying they want to serve; they have, as Josh said, “put legs to it.”

“We put God in the mission of our business, and the outflow is something we’ve created called a Community Partnership Initiative, our CPI program. It’s designed to serve nonprofits and those unable to pay for services,” he said.

“We have 21 maintenance crews serving the northeast Atlanta market, and each of those crews has a community partnership initiative that they service. We give away a good bit of work every year to those in need in our community, and it’s something we’re very grateful to be able to do. We’ve been blessed to be able to provide that to others.”

While New Leaf’s mission and business is better known in Gainesville, their reach into the Lawrenceville area is more recent. When StreetWise and New Leaf first connected, their CPI program sounded too good to be true.

“I actually found Streetwise on my own and reached out to Tracy [Joseph, StreetWise’s executive director] through their website,” Josh said. “I just said, ‘I know this is random, but I see exactly where you’re located, I’ve been by your property and we’d like to do your service for no charge.’ 

“I told him a little bit of who we are and why, and when I finally got Tracy on the phone, he said he didn’t call before because he thought it was somebody just messing with him! But I told him, ‘All we want to do is serve you.’”

Josh explained that there were truly no strings attached, and the partnership began – New Leaf generously offered StreetWise a grant for fully donated landscaping services.

This donation not only keeps StreetWise’s grounds looking beautiful, it allows more funds to go toward programming, renovations and other expenses.

The partnership has also helped to connect a family to StreetWise’s services. Chad Hanson – a crew leader with New Leaf – and his wife Courtney found themselves in need of a little assistance during a difficult period of their lives.

The couple’s first introduction to StreetWise was through Courtney’s job at the restaurant that caters many of StreetWise’s events. 

“I first met Tracy as a waitress at El Fogon,” Courtney said. “But I had to leave work because I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“At first, it was very overwhelming, but God gave me the strength and ability to stay positive. That made it so easy to get through it. Even my oncologist asked if I could talk to some of the other [young] ladies he treats to encourage them along.”

A hopeful outlook makes a huge difference, but financial difficulties from medical bills hurt even the most positive. That’s where StreetWise was able to help.

“It was around the holidays,” Chad said, “and Tracy reached out to have us come to StreetWise. Not just the staff, but the volunteers, everybody is just super nice and polite.”

“StreetWise helped us with food and some Christmas gifts for our kids,” Courtney said. “What they do is amazing, and Tracy literally has a heart of gold.”

After chemo and radiation, Courtney is getting back to her old self, enjoying life with Chad and their two kids. 

The Hansons are just one example of the difference community partnerships like the one between StreetWise and New Leaf can make. And being a part of a company that cares the way New Leaf does has made an impact on Chad.

“New Leaf is not like any other company. They’re very much Christian-based, and they work with people better than any company I’ve ever worked for,” Chad said. “When someone is brand new and doesn’t know what they’re doing, they take the time and put them with the right people to get them trained. And if they’re having a struggle somewhere else, they provide guidance to help them better themselves.

“Also, through the CPI program, the company does a lot of [donated] community work. Our biggest motto is to work with a servant’s heart – and it’s not an easy job. I’ve never worked anywhere like that, and it’s what keeps me there.”

New Leaf has a heart to help. But in a community full of causes to support, why choose StreetWise?

“Streetwise is serving the community in Jesus’s name,” Josh said. “People are putting their faith in Jesus, and those who are struggling or need some extra assistance during a season of their life are being helped and prayed for. 

“There are a lot of good groups out there, but you can be a really good group and not care anything about Jesus. We’re looking to partner with those that are further in the kingdom [of God], and StreetWise met all the criteria for us.”

Not only does Josh enjoy having New Leaf work with StreetWise, he encourages others to find their place and serve, too.

“Henry Blackaby said in his book Experiencing God, ‘Wherever you see God working, join him there.’ We got a very high level glimpse at what StreetWise is doing, but I saw enough to know that I can see the Lord is doing something there,” Josh said.

“To anybody looking to get involved: wherever you see the Lord working, just join Him. StreetWise already has the program; you just need to show up and give of your time. Take your family over there on a Saturday, get plugged in and try it out. Jump in and see what happens.

“It takes multiple links in the chain to make it all happen. We’re a small link in StreetWise’s chain, and we’re grateful for it.”