Rodrock Development celebrates holiday-ready homes and nicest neighbors

The holidays are a joyous season at Rodrock Development. There’s nothing like welcoming families into new homes just in time for holiday festivities. Thankfully the company’s most popular communities have move-in-ready homes, allowing families to deck new-and-improved halls. And 2017 has even more holiday joy to spread with the announcement of Rodrock Development’s Nicest Neighbor Contest. Darol Rodrock and his team were touched by the outpouring of entries—so much so they opted to award one grand prize winner and one runner-up!

For those with wish lists that include a little more space, a little more style, or just a little more heart, there is a bountiful collection of homes ready in the most perennially popular Rodrock Developments. Olathe’s Stonebridge Park has seven sensational homes in which to host holiday gatherings, while nearby Stonebridge Trails has two abodes ready to tempt homebuyers.

Still if you have a golfer in the family, Olathe’s Greens of Chapel Creek has six superb options ready for holiday merriment, alongside Arbor Lake’s four fantastic finds in Lenexa. And finally, homebuyers can ring in the New Year in style at the breathtaking Sundance Ridge in Overland Park. With a wide variety of award-winning homebuilders, if a customer can dream it, it can become a reality!

But it’s not just the homes that are “dreams come true” within Rodrock Developments. The residents are pretty extraordinary, too, as the Nicest Neighbor Contest beautifully brought to light. The team at Rodrock Development asked Kansas Citians to tell them what constitutes a good neighbor. E-mails poured in as readers nominated the best their community had to offer, and the applications were truly awe-inspiring.

Darol read each entry, and it was a fulfillment of his longtime hope—to have residents who not only build up their own neighborhoods but the greater community as a whole. So many compassionate, outstanding citizens were designated; it made the decision-making process a challenge.

But is was Martha Vielhauer, on behalf of the Parkhurst community, who nominated Rodrock Development’s Nicest Neighbor winner, Brinda Swanson. “This is a woman who not only brings together the greatest neighborhood in the area, but also facilitates our families to have a positive effect on the community beyond our borders,” Martha wrote.

Every year Parkhurst hosts Oktoberfest, wherein each family is invited to gather in the name of fun and charity. Brinda is both the brains and the brawn behind much of the event, which raised a staggering $21,677.81 for the Dreamfactory and Bags of Fun last year alone.

“I don’t think there’s been an event in history, royal weddings included, that has been so carefully planned and precisely executed as our own Oktoberfest,” Martha wrote. “And Brinda is always bringing the people of Parkhurst together for baseball games, parties, sightseeing tours, etc. When the Royals won the World Series, she had buses come to the neighborhood and transport our residents to the parade! Before I met Brinda, I don’t think I’d even made eye contact with a single neighbor. I didn’t think I needed to interact with anyone just because they lived close. Being the inclusive planner that she is, she’s introduced me to how wonderful the people I live amongst really are. In addition, Brinda’s just the typical good neighbor: The person you can call to put packages in the house when on vacation, the neighbor who’ll take your kid to school when the bus is late, the neighbor who always asks if there’s anything she can do. I know she doesn’t want the recognition, and she’d never ask for a prize, but she deserves it.”

Darol and his team agreed, rewarding Brinda a fantastic night out on the town to the tune of $500. What better way to toast a truly exceptional neighbor?

Still, Lindsey McDonald wrote to nominate Grey Oak’s Brittney Geis, and Rodrock Development found her equally deserving of a night out on the town as this year’s Nicest Neighbor runner-up.

“In 2012, my husband and I took over the Mom’s Council Fall Festival and launched the Grey Oaks Barbecue,” Lindsey wrote. “Brittney approached me wanting to add a ‘Grey Oaks Gives Back’ element to the barbecue, which I happily accepted (telling her that she’d have to do all of the work!). Over the past five years, Brittney has grown Grey Oaks Gives Back into an annual fundraiser. We’ve supported families in our neighborhood with unique needs and donated to the American Cancer Society and Hands to Hearts KC. Brittney’s efforts have brought our community closer together and have raised more than $20,000 for some very deserving families in our neighborhood and causes beyond. This year, the founders of Hands to Hearts KC came to our barbecue to accept the check for $5,000, and they gave Brittney the most beautiful compliment, saying it was evident Brittney’s giving spirit had inspired the youngest of the Grey Oaks kids to rally behind the cause, promoting raffle tickets, selling snow cones, and asking for donations.”

While Darol is exceptionally proud of his 80-plus communities spanning Johnson County, what truly brings him joy is knowing the neighborhoods he planned have taken on a vibrant life of their own, creating enduring friendships and family memories—all for the betterment of Kansas as a whole.

For more information, visit Rodrock.com.

This story was originally published December 1, 2017 at 3:50 PM with the headline "Rodrock Development celebrates holiday-ready homes and nicest neighbors."