What do you get when 12,000 square feet of free tile, 100 willing (and quite capable) volunteers donating 1,500 hours of free installation and products come together with a strong leadership team? Great big smiles on the faces of seriously ill children, and a wondrously rewarding experience.

The Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne, NY, co-founded by Charles R. Wood and Paul Newman, provides specialized programs and year-round support for children and their families dealing with life-threatening illnesses. All programs are free of charge and capture the magic of the Adirondacks. Max Yureda, Double H CEO/Executive Director, is amazed at the donation of time and materials by so many to re-image the facility.

American Marazzi Tile donated 12,000 square feet of porcelain tile to this “Hole in the Wall, A Serious Fun Camp” for use in the main building’s welcome center, game room and three dining rooms plus the conference and theater areas. This wonderful renovation immediately greets the alumni and families arriving at Double H Ranch – new tile flooring in the main traffic areas dramatically changes the first impression of the facility and makes life at the facility more accessible for children as well as providing a healthy, easily cleaned environment.

“The ‘before’ and ‘after’ scope of this project adds to the truly life-changing experience these kids have at Double H Ranch,” observed Yureda.

The massive cooperative effort included manufacturers, professional tile installers and volunteers across a broad industry spectrum that was initiated and headed by Schluter-Systems’ Territory Manager - Lower Northeast, Rich Citro. Onsite installation coordination was seamlessly directed by Anthony Mion & Sons, 3rd generation installers.

Matt Bartkowski, Regional Sales Manager – New England with Marazzi USA, managed the large-scale donation of first-quality porcelain tile. Bartkowski stated, “The few days I spent working at Double H were such an amazing experience for me. Personally, it felt great working side by side with all of these industry professionals helping to improve this facility that does so many great things for critically ill children. Professionally, it makes me really proud to represent a company like Marazzi that is so willing to step up and do good things for the community.”