Spotlight

Son of a Saint salutes "Spotlight Sponsors," partners that go above and beyond in support of our mission.

Trapolin-Peer Architects
The dynamically talented team at Trapolin-Peer Architects is helping Son of a Saint build lives and literally so much more. Paula Peer, principal of the architecture firm, was initially introduced to Son of a Saint in 2019 through a common associate of both organizations, revered philanthropist, and longtime Son of a Saint supporter, Mr. Bobby Merrick.
That key introduction led to a meeting between Paula and Son of a Saint's Founder + CEO Bivian "Sonny" Lee III, where the concept of reimagining and revitalizing a centralized headquarters for the organization sprang to life. Eventually, the concept would officially take shape as Son of a Saint's "A Home For Our Boys," also known as The Ochsner Health Bivian Lee Jr. Son of a Saint Center. The building, a 100-year-old icehouse in the heart of Mid-City New Orleans, is named after Sonny Lee's father.
Trapolin-Peer's team, led by Paula and including Associate Architect Gabriel Virdure, as well as Architectural Designers Matthew Buyer and Hannah Berryhill, officially began working on the Son of a Saint project in early 2020, and the relationship continues full steam ahead to present day. The firm generously provides Son of a Saint with full pro bono concept, design, coordination, and lead permitting services for the upcoming facility, which is currently under construction and slated for completion in early 2022. Trapolin-Peer's design approach aims to create a balanced space that is not only welcoming and playful for Son of a Saint's young mentees, but also displays the professionalism and importance of the organization’s mission: to transform the lives of fatherless boys and invest in the future of New Orleans.
A further testament to the heart and the ethos of the company, Trapolin-Peer even allowed Son of a Saint's mentees and staff to work lockstep with the architecture team to provide direct design input, collaboration, and recommendations since the start of the partnership. This included multiple sessions of the mentees visiting the Trapolin-Peer office to explain the functionalities and amenities they wanted to see in their future headquarters space.
Subsequent design and brainstorming sessions with key Son of a Saint staff members are held on a weekly, if not daily, basis further the conversation and the spirit of working together to build a major, state-of-the-art centralized home for the Son of a Saint, which will become a resource for so many young men and their families throughout the Greater New Orleans community. The members of Son of a Saint's entire network are staying tuned with high anticipation for what is yet to come from the buildout of the new space, all under the direction and expertise of the Trapolin-Peer team.
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