It was so wonderful to see so many of you at our Builders & Friends BBQ, where we celebrated the people and companies who make our work possible. We continued the celebration into the following week when our donors and supports helped us crush our goal with our Builders for Babies diapers and wipes collection drive, delivering comfort and better health to babies and their families at 37 nonprofits throughout the region. Thank you, to everyone –from the sponsors and attendees at our BBQ, you reminded me why doing what we do isn’t only possible, but it’s also fun when we’re surrounded by partners like you. And for the countless people who collected, donated, sorted, and delivered more than three-quarters of a million diapers and wipes (!), you have my gratitude and my awe. So it felt jarring, I’ll admit, to open my news feed just a few short days later to discover that the Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the City of Grants Pass, Oregon stating that under the 8th amendment it is not cruel and unusual to impose civil penalties for people sleeping outside. This ruling specifically targets people experiencing homelessness and criminalizes them. We already exist in a nation where there isn’t enough affordable housing or programs and services for those in need; this decision makes it harder for people to survive. It does not provide a solution for our housing crisis or for the people who suffer as a result. Where do we go from here? On a national scale, I don’t have that answer, but I can say that in our small corner of the world HomeAid will continue to push forward to find solutions in the communities we serve. Thank you for locking arms with us and doing your part to move our mission forward.
With gratitude,
Join us on Friday, September 20, to compete, network, and support HomeAid at our Annual Golf Tournament presented by Darvish Construction at Raspberry Falls Golf & Hunt Club! Check-in will begin at 7:00 a.m. with an 8:00 a.m. shotgun start. This tournament always sells out, so be sure to register your foursome today!
Sponsors, put your company name in front of a sold-out crowd of leaders in the building industry, with the knowledge that 100% of proceeds will go toward enhancing HomeAid’s mission of helping people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. In 2023, we raised more than $150,000 at this tournament – can you help us do it again?
With a wide range of sponsorship opportunities – including par and hole, bar, birdie, cart, and hole-in-one sponsorships – we have sponsor levels for every budget. Find out more today!
Even an early summer heat wave couldn’t keep hundreds of partners, supporters, and guests gathering for HomeAid National Capital Region’s Builders & Friends BBQ! Against the backdrop of a picture-perfect lake at the National Botanic Garden in South Riding, we celebrated and recognized our 2024 Trade Partner of the Year: Capital Mechanical, LLC. This prestigious annual award is presented to a company that has demonstrated exceptional commitment and service to HomeAid’s projects. As a volunteer with HomeAid since 2009, Chris Carspecken and the Capital Mechanical team have provided invaluable plumbing services on 17 of our projects. Their contributions amount to over $144,000 in donated labor and materials, significantly impacting the lives of over 4,500 people in our region.
“We see ourselves as part of the entire community, by providing careers for our employees, plumbing solutions to the home building industry, and giving back to the community in meaningful ways,” Chris said, when asked why he loves supporting HomeAid. “It is always rewarding to be a part of improvements that matter; it enriches us all, and I’ve always believed in HomeAid’s mission. We have never said ‘no’ to a Builder Captain or HomeAid if there is a plumbing need or fundraising event!”
In addition to announcing the Trade Partner of the Year, we all enjoyed an evening of camaraderie and friendship. Special thanks to the Liberty Street Band, Honor Brewing, Mission BBQ, Todd Canape and C&C Frozen Treats for filling our evening with music and our stomachs with the finest fare, and enormous appreciation to the many sponsors who made this event possible! Together, we raised $50,000+ to continue our mission of building new lives for those experiencing homelessness.
Couldn’t make it this year? Be sure to check out our online photo album of this year’s BBQ!
We did it! HomeAid’s Builders for Babies Diaper Drive was an enormous success, exceeding our goal and collecting 277,893 diapers and 500,926 wipes between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day! We had dozens of organizations hosting collection sites and countless individuals donating online, helping to support 37 different nonprofits around the region. Those are huge numbers and impressive growth for what began as a fairly humble effort just six years ago. Let’s take a closer look at just how big an impact Builders for Babies is making:
Thank you to all who helped make this year’s drive a success – it’s an incredible example of identifying a need and saying, “We can help with that.”
Want to see what this year’s Builder for Babies really looked like? Check out our Flickr photo album!
DC Prime, a steak and seafood restaurant in Ashburn, Va., has been delivering an inspired menu and great service to diners since it opened in 2015. Now, the team at DC Prime is delivering that same brand of excellence through its partnership with HomeAid, participating in the Builders for Babies Diaper Drive two year in a row. Find out why DC Prime’s General Manager Glenn Wooten and Community Outreach Manager Windy Crowe keep saying ‘yes’ to HomeAid!
Q: How did your involvement with HomeAid begin?
A: We were introduced to Kristyn Burr, she asked us to get involved, and we discovered that HomeAid’s mission was an easy one to get behind. We want to positively impact the community, and it was a logical decision to get involved – we’re much more than ‘just’ a restaurant. Outside of DC Prime, Glenn also founded In the Gap, a movement that aims to help people in need who don’t quite qualify financially for government assistance, so this felt like a natural extension of his interest in helping others.
Q: How did you go about supporting the diaper drive this year?
A: We had a collection box by our front entrance, but we also promoted it via our staff email newsletter, on our Facebook page, and with table-top promotions. Our wait staff talked it up with customers, and QR codes made it easy for people to participate if they chose to. We’re really excited to hear how hugely successful this year’s effort was – over 275,000 diapers is a lot!
Q: What would you tell other businesses about your experience volunteering with HomeAid?
A: It’s all worthwhile. HomeAid does a lot and helps the community so much. They do so much more than build and renovate nonprofits – they care about the needs of the communities they’re working in, and they are problem solvers. I tell everyone to get involved – HomeAid is an organization they can trust, and anyone’s donation – whether monetary or time – will be well-spent.
Shop and Support
For the entire month of July, each time a reusable $2.75 Community Bag is purchased at the Giant Food store located at 13330 Franklin Farm Road in Herndon, $1 will be donated to HomeAid National Capital Region! This is a great way to raise awareness, support the environment, and fundraise for our cause. Please help us spread the word by letting everyone you know in the Herndon area that now is the time to purchase reusable Community Bags.
Golfing for HomeAid
Third-party charity fundraisers continue to be a very popular way to show support for HomeAid, and we are looking forward to two upcoming golf tournaments that have designated HomeAid as the beneficiary. Thank you, K. Hovnanian Homes and Toll Brothers – we look forward to joining you on September 6 at Westfields and on October 21 at Belmont Country Club, respectively. These fundraisers are of course a lot of fun and provide critically important funding, but they also help introduce HomeAid to potential new supporters!
Representing HomeAid in Washington
Our Communications & Marketing Director Courtney Bishop represented HomeAid at the 2024 National Conference on Ending Homelessness in D.C. on July 8-10. The conference brought together service providers, system leaders, advocates, and people with lived experience of homelessness to learn from each other, discuss best practices, and share new innovations in the field.
HomeAid Golf Tournament
Friday, September 20, 2024 8:00AM Shotgun Start
Raspberry Falls Golf and Hunt Club
41601 Raspberry Dr, Leesburg, VA. 20176
Second Saturday Series: Pitch Perfect Trivia
Saturday, July 13, 2024, 5:00PM
Tunes and Tonics 3950 University Dr STE 210, Fairfax, VA.
Proceeds from the 50/50 raffle and door prize benefit HomeAid National Capital Region.
K. Hovnanian Golf Tournament
Friday, September 6, 2024 8:00AM Shotgun Start
Westfields Golf Club
13940 Balmoral Greens Ave. Clifton, VA. 20124
Proceeds from this tournament will benefit HomeAid National Capital Region.
Toll Brothers Golf Tournament
Monday, October 21, 2024 8:30AM Shotgun Start
Belmont Country Club
19661 Belmont Manor Lane Ashburn, VA. 20147
Proceeds from this tournament will benefit HomeAid National Capital Region.
