Groundbreaking Ceremony:  May 5, 2016,  10:00 am

HomeAid Northern Virginia and Builder Captain Toll Brothers have announced that they will break ground next month on a 5,000 square-foot, $650,000 home on the Bristow, Va., campus of Youth For Tomorrow (YFT). The groundbreaking – on Thursday, May 5, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. – comes just five months after YFT opened its doors in December 2015 to a new girls home built by Home Aid, Stanley Martin Homes, and trade partners. This second HomeAid-built home will again allow YFT to expand on-campus residential services for up to 36 more girls who are pregnant, young mothers, homeless, runaways, or survivors of sex trafficking every year.

The new home will also include a three-bedroom, attached apartment to accommodate a “house parent,” who will be responsible for the daily care and safety of the 11- to 17-year-old girls.

“Having ‘house parents’ so close at hand will also allow them to provide the loving care – in a real home – that so many of these girls have never known,” said Dr. Gary L. Jones, CEO of Youth For Tomorrow. “The generous and gracious support of HomeAid and Toll Brothers will greatly aid the children who are directed to receive the benefits of our comprehensive program, which includes counseling, education, and the re-direction of their personal behaviors.”

“We have worked with HomeAid on several projects, and this will be our third as Builder Captain,” said Toll Brothers Regional President Bill Gilligan. “HomeAid makes the Builder Captain’s job easier by serving as an interface between Toll Brothers and the charitable organization. We believe in giving back to the community and our partnership with HomeAid has been a great way to do that.”

The project is expected to be completed this year.   

HomeAid Northern Virginia and Builder Captain Knutson Companies have put the finishing touches on more than 7,000 square feet of space at The Women Giving Back (WGB) Store, where women and children from local service providers shop for free clothing and accessories every month. The $36,000 addition, adjacent to The Store’s existing retail space, essentially doubled The Store’s capacity and will ultimately allow WGB to add weekday shopping hours to its monthly schedule.

“Our shelter partners have been telling us for a long time that their clients would benefit enormously from being able to shop The Store during the week instead of only on our current second-Saturday of every month,” said WGB Co-founder Terri Stagi. “We are now conducting a survey to find out which day of the week would be the most helpful. This addition is really a game-changer; not only will we double our Store hours every month, but we’ll be able to serve 50 percent more shoppers—3,000 women and 6,000 children every year. The project also allowed us to improve egress; add an accessories department; and create a new children’s space where kids can play while their mothers shop for clothes.”

Don Knutson, a co-founder of HomeAid Northern Virginia and now president of Knutson Homes, was honored to accept this first philanthropic project since launching his own company three years ago.

“I led several HomeAid projects when I worked for a national homebuilder,” Knutson said, “but since going out on my own a few years ago, I’ve finally gotten to a scale where I can lead a HomeAid project again. WGB is an awesome enterprise, and I’m so pleased to be able to help them do even greater things simply by having more space. It’s the first project of many that I will do with HomeAid, and it feels great.”

WGB will officially dedicate the expanded Store at their Annual Cinco de Mayo celebration, on Thursday, May 5, 2016, at 5:30 p.m. WGB, formerly a HomeAid Northern Virginia program, was granted 501(c)3 status in May 2015.

Thank you, Knutson Homes, and the following trade partners, for doubling The Women Giving Back Store’s capacity. Your donation will allow thousands more women and children shop for free clothing every year!

Builder Fire Solutions
Carter Lumber
Eastern Applicators

Thursday, June 23, 2016
4 – 7:00 pm
The Barn at One Loudoun
20405 Savin Hill Drive
Ashburn, VA 20147

Make plans now to attend one of the season’s best career-builders: The Builders & Friends BBQ on June 23! You’ll join hundreds of colleagues (with the opportunity to talk one-on-one with up to 25 presidents and executives of the region’s biggest building companies) all while playing cornhole, feasting on all-you-can-eat BBQ, and sampling from an open beer and wine bar.

More than 240 HomeAid supporters enjoyed the 2015 Builders, Friends BBQ while tuning up their cornhole-playing skills and raising $40,000 to support HomeAid. Guests will learn more about HomeAid’s mission of building and renovating housing for the homeless, as well as celebrate the 2016 Trade Partner of the Year, which goes to a vendor, trade partner, or industry partner who has gone above and beyond in their service to the community through their work with HomeAid. 2016 Trade Partners will receive two complimentary registrations.

Registration is $35 and includes an open bar, all-you-can-eat BBQ buffet and one free raffle ticket for a variety of prizes (additional raffle tickets can be purchased on-site). Sponsorships are also being accepted.

Many thanks to press-time sponsors One Loudoun and Thompson Greenspon!

Support the 2016 BBQ!

Register!

Join 250 other homebuilding industry representatives for the networking event of the Summer! Register today!

Donate a Raffle Item!

Help fellow builders and friends take home some swag – raffle item donations are being accepted now! Contact HomeAid Communications & Special Events Manager Faith Boruta (703.953.3525) for more information.

Sponsor!

Put your company name in front of hundreds of HomeAid supporters through a sponsorship! Contact HomeAid Executive Director Christy Eaton (571.283.6320) for more information.

John Darvish, founder and president of John Darvish Construction and Darvish Interiors, has served on the HomeAid Northern Virginia Board of Directors for nine years and as a HANV trade partner for many years prior to that. He has become known as not only a friend to HANV, but also as a member of the building community who consistently steps up when there is a need. Find out what drives his commitment to community service and to HomeAid.

Q: How did you become involved with HANV?

A: Because I was very involved as a trade partner, served on several trade councils, and because of my active community work, HANV approached me in 2007 to see if I would join the Board of Directors. I accepted, and shortly thereafter, realized that through everything I do for this organization, I can touch people’s lives. I make a difference in people’s lives. It became very important to me.

Q: You have been involved in so many HANV projects. Do you have a favorite?

A: I have been involved in a number of projects, and for several of them, I served as Builder Captain. My most interesting and favorite project was Youth for Tomorrow. That project was such a phenomenon, with more than 75 trade partners, suppliers, and distributors who all came together as a collective and built this beautiful project in a matter of months. It’s a joyful project, and we enjoyed it while we were doing it. We did it with such enthusiasm, and we knew that it was for a great cause. In the end, thanks to the selflessness of Joe Gibbs and all the other supporters, it was a project I personally really enjoyed.

Q: How do you feel about winning the 2015 Presidents’ Award, and being named Trade Partner of the Year in 2011?

A: I really don’t focus on the trophy—I have a lot of trophies in recognition of what I’ve done in my career. But what came out of those moments of being honored—at the end of the day when I go home and put my head to the pillow—is that the trophy represents the fact that I made a difference in others’ lives. For me, that’s what I get out of it. I really want to add to my collection of touching people’s lives.

Q: Why do you feel it is important to give to an organization like HANV?

A: It’s our moral obligation. As successful citizens of this country, at some point it is our turn to give back to our communities. We have to do it to make this nation great, and this is where I believe that I can do my part, starting with my local community. I’m in construction, and I can do things for communities by doing what we are good at. We cannot wait for the government to do this for us; maybe we can ask them to facilitate it for us and ease up regulations so that we can succeed, but it always starts from within ourselves.

Q: Are there any stories that you would like to share about your involvement with HANV?

A: I serve on the Gala subcommittee, and whenever we get to the point where we start talking about who can do things for us and who can sponsor various things, they always come and ask me, because they know that I cannot say, “No.” It’s hard to say no to these guys, and every two or three years, they’ll say, “Hey John, are you still up for serving on the Board? Do you still want to be part of the group?” And I always say, “As long as I’m breathing, I will help you out.”

Erin Ziegler, a graduate student enrolled in George Mason University’s Science Communication Graduate Certificate Program, has joined HomeAid’s staff as our communications intern.

Ziegler chose to work with HomeAid because, as she shifts from a background in biology and science, she wanted to broaden her communications experience in a real-world setting, particularly as she learns what goes into outreach and public relations efforts.

“Studying communication tools in class is fine, but learning how the concepts are actually put to use will be a fantastic experience for me,” she added, “and I’m excited to have the opportunity to move beyond being a ‘name with a resume’ through my work experience.”

In her first few weeks with HomeAid, she’s been most surprised by how much a small staff can accomplish: “Given the nationwide reach of HomeAid and professional materials and programs, I expected the local chapters to be much larger. The staff in Northern Virginia have been so welcoming, and to learn that everything is done by just a handful of people shows just how much work everyone puts into HomeAid.”

HomeAid Northern Virginia has regular openings for interns in a variety of positions. Job descriptions can be found online. To apply, please send a cover letter and resume.