The check presentation was made at a special ceremony held Friday, Jan. 15, across from the model home in Highland Lake. Tom Glavine, the Atlanta Braves' two-time Cy Young Award winner who is on the GTF board of directors, accepted the check from Sonny Deavours, founder of Brayson Homes. Deavours, a Duluth resident, received a kidney transplant six years ago.

The large crowd which was on hand for the presentation included officials from the Georgia Transplant Foundation, including several transplant recipients; contributors to the project, the purchasers of the Transplant House, and State Sen. Billy Ray.

GTF representatives at the event included President Frank Jakes of Lithonia, who is a kidney transplant recipient; Immediate Past President/Secretary Ben Barkley of the Virginia-Highlands area of Atlanta; Past President Pat Dunkerley of Dunwoody; Treasurer R. Bird Anderson Jr. of Dunwoody, who is the father of a four-year-old heart transplant recipient; founder Thomas F. Smith of Duluth, a kidney transplant recipient; President-elect Ann Hunter of Virginia-Highlands; Director Sandy McMath of Stone Mountain; Director Pat Ryan of Marietta; Director Jennie Perryman of Roswell; Director Dwain Thomas of the Inman Park area of Atlanta; and Director Bonnie Bradley of Decatur.

Also there for the event was Darcy Dunkerley of Dunwoody, a GTF volunteer who is the originator of "Tom Glavine's Spring Training". Hosted annually by Glavine, this popular fundraising event supports the foundation's patient programs and gives sponsors and attendees the chance to challenge many of their favorite celebrity athletes in games like pool and ping-pong. It is a major provider of funding for the GTF.

Brayson Homes has constructed the Transplant House with the understanding that when the house is purchased, 100 percent of the profits is donated to the foundation. The amount of the check presented at the recent Highland Lake ceremony was much larger than the usual builder profits from a home sale, because many of Brayson's suppliers, contractors and others made donations of labor, materials and services.

The 1997-'98 Transplant House, located at 1620 Highland Farm Dr., was bought by Norman and Nancy Stenzel. Maria Geller of Brayson Homes was the listing and selling agent.

The third project of this kind by Brayson Homes, the 1997-'98 Transplant House brings to $222,638 the approximate total of funds brought in since the Gwinnett-based home builder initiated the project several years ago. The 1995-'96 project resulted in a $65,058 donation, and the 1996-'97 effort brought in $71,399.

The list of contributors to the 1997-'98 House, in addition to Brayson Homes, includes the following:

Ran Management Inc.; State Farm Insurance (Bill Harrell); Northwest Exterminating; Busbee Surveying Co.; Special Assignments; Edwin Underwood; Dominic Tulk, Century Concrete Inc.; Lewallen Construction; Thomas Concrete; Stuart Mechanical Services Inc.; T&D Retaining Walls Inc.; Jennifer Taylor; Truss Systems Inc.; Bob White Enterprises; Wood World Designs Inc.; A J Concrete Pumping Inc.; Arrow Lumber & Supply; Atlanta Structural Products; Bathroom Designs; Carolina Builders; Designer Carpets & Interiors; Diversified Cabinets; and E. E. Lighting Inc. Charles Ezell; Franklin Industries Inc.; Freddis Herrera; Reginald Hudspeth LLC; Jase Interiors; K&B Plumbing Inc.; Peter Lavoie; Sotero Martinez; Oakwood Landscaping Inc.; Plymart Inc.; Progressive Lighting; Quality Insulations; Ramirez Clean Up Inc.; Residential Construction; Sears Contract and Builder Sales (Larry Greer); Sigman Gutters; Jefferson Mortgage; Quarter Moon Services; Construction Cost Management; and ICI Duluxe Paint.

The Transplant House project has a twofold purpose: to bring in needed funding for GTF and to encourage more people to sign up to donate organs. GTF's goal is to provide financial and other assistance to transplant patients and their families when these benefits are not available through private, insurance and governmental sources.

Brayson Homes, founded in 1977, has built nearly 3,500 new homes in Gwinnett County. The company is also currently active in DeKalb and Cobb Counties.