As we approach the end of the calendar year, it’s tempting to reflect on what we’ve accomplished this year-and there is so much to celebrate. However, at HomeAid, we tend to continue looking forward – at the challenges facing our nonprofit partners and their clients, and explore ways –beyond shelter – that we can help address those challenges, and how we can fund it.
While I’m so proud of the two construction projects we’ve completed since January 2024 – a total investment in our communities of over $268,000–we are focused more on the nine we now have in our pipeline going forward, ranging from under $100,000 to over $4 million. HomeAid focuses on working with our nonprofit partners to find new ways we can support the people they serve, whether that means delivering diapers for young mothers in need, purchasing bunk beds or playground equipment, improving their food pantries or thrift stores, or supporting vital programming that helps adults pursue careers or that helps kids excel in school. We’re about so much more than homes – but all of our efforts require the same thing to make it possible: funding.
Next month, our Annual Gala & Auction will be our biggest opportunity of the year to raise the funds that will sustain our mission in 2025. Yes, it’s a fun night celebrating our industry’s fellowship and HomeAid’s success – but it’s also a stark reminder that our future success is entirely dependent on our ability to fund it. Whether you are planning to attend for your first time or are stepping up as a Table Captain, which you can read more about in this issue of Building Hope, I hope you’ll come with the intention of helping sustain our operations and filling critical gaps for our nonprofit partners. I look forward to seeing you, and I’m grateful for your support.
With gratitude,
HomeAid’s ‘A Night in Morocco’ Gala & Auction is set for Saturday, November 9, at 6:30 p.m. There are many ways to support the event, from sponsoring, purchasing an individual ticket, bidding on silent and live auction items, or helping us fill every table and encouraging 100% participation in our Paddle Challenge by serving as a Table Captain!
What’s a Table Captain? In short, it means having a unique opportunity to spread the word and bring together your friends, family, and colleagues to support a cause you care deeply about, while enjoying a memorable and fun evening. It means sharing information about the Gala & Auction, inspiring others to give, and following up to ensure your guests’ attendance. And after two decades of hosting this event, we have the wisdom and resources to help all of our Table Captains succeed:
Then, enjoy signature drinks, live music, networking with the biggest and best in the building industry, a seated dinner, and celebrating our President’s Circle Award winners. Best of all, you’ll enjoy it with your guests as they discover how they too can help build new lives for individuals and families who are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing homelessness.
Interested in learning more about being a Table Captain? Please contact Tammy Glasser.
Please remember a limited number of rooms have been reserved for HomeAid Gala guests. Book your room at a discounted price until October 11th!
Fall has arrived, and the holiday season will soon be here! To help organize the typically strong outpouring of volunteerism during this season of giving, HomeAid National Capital Region is again launching our Home Essentials Drive. The drive will run now, through the end of the year with an Amazon Wish List full of basics that every household needs, such as small kitchen appliances, linens, towels, kitchenware, and cleaning supplies. All household essentials will be shipped directly to our office, where the items will be organized and delivered to families and individuals moving out of homelessness and into housing.
Whether you coordinate an office-wide drive, team up with your book club, or do some solo shopping, every donation has a second benefit: The funds our partners save by not having to purchase these essentials means more funding for programs and services!
If you have questions or want to learn more about hosting a drive please contact Erica Simpson.
Thank you to the 175 golfers, sponsors, and supporters who turned out on a beautiful late summer day in September for our sold-out HomeAid Golf Tournament at Raspberry Falls. Together, we raised over $154,000 to support our mission of helping people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness build new lives through construction, community engagement, and education. During a day that was all about giving back, we also enjoyed sending home bragging rights to the following golfers. Congrats to all!
Thank you again to all our sponsors and golfers who made the day such a success. We would also like to thank Long Drive Pro Justin Moose for entertaining everyone on hole 11 and Vienna Food truck for stopping by this year. Looking for photos from the day? Check out our Flickr album!
Timberlake Cabinetry has been a loyal partner to HomeAid National Capital Region since 2009, completing 13 projects with us and investing almost $70,000 into the communities we serve. Currently working with us on our Good Shepherd Peace House project and having just recently completed a project for Thrive!, we sat down with Chris Reinhardt, district operations manager, to find out a little bit more about what partnering with HomeAid means to the company and to him.
Q: What has inspired Timberlake to so consistently partner with HomeAid?
A: Our corporate office is in Winchester and we serve the entire region, so many of the communities that HomeAid serves is our community, too. While our company’s involvement predates my coming on board, the philosophy of giving back is something I’ve always respected and enjoyed. We’ve worked with multiple different Builder Captains on these projects over the years, and HomeAid is just a great organization to work with.
Q: If other trade partners were considering getting involved with HomeAid, what would you tell them?
A: Do the research, find out what the project will be all about, and learn more about who it will serve. HomeAid is very transparent, and having a better understanding of where our donation and time is going to serve has been really great. Every project is different, but you’ll know where your resources are going. It’s an awesome feeling.
Q: What is a typical HomeAid project for you?
A: While the projects typically involved a whole-house renovation, we focus on cabinetry within the home – for the kitchen, for bath vanities, and sometimes in laundry rooms. We work closely with the Builder Captain and other trades on every project to ensure the highest quality of work.
Q: What have you been most surprised to learn about homelessness since your work with HomeAid began?
A: It can happen to anyone. I think many people turn a blind eye, or think – incorrectly – that someone has become unsheltered through mistakes or poor choices or substance abuse. But if you’re willing to learn more, you’ll discover that displacement is a lot more common than we realize, and that it’s not just an inner-city problem. It can happen to anyone, and it can happen anywhere. Working with HomeAid is a great way to make a positive impact for those who may otherwise be unhoused – and many of the nonprofits with whom we partner are working on prevention too. We can help those who need it, and we can help prevent others from facing it at all. It’s a great feeling.
Thank You
Our gratitude to the eight volunteers from Thompson Greenspon, who dedicated their time on Friday, September 27 for a Care Day. The crew cleaned and organized two homes in Arlington that are owned by L’Arche Greater Washington, a nonprofit that provides housing and support services to adults with intellectual disabilities.
Flavors of Fairfax
HomeAid National Capital Region joined 250 community leaders at Flavor of Fairfax in Alexandria in September, where FACETS recognized supporters and celebrated our shared accomplishments in serving people experiencing food insecurity, homelessness or housing instability, and general poverty. HomeAid’s CEO, Kristyn Burr also accepted FACETS’ first-ever “Housing Hero Award” on behalf of HomeAid, Lennar, and our trade partners, in recognition of the significant renovation of the Sojourn House and its life-changing impact on residents.
Glebe View Groundbreaking On Saturday, September 28, HomeAid National Capital Region joined the Fairfax Presbyterian Church, Habitat DC-NOVA, and Homestretch for the groundbreaking of the Glebe View Townhomes, an exciting new construction project in the City of Fairfax. Ten townhomes, each with four bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and an attached garage are planned, with eight homes to be sold to households through Habitat’s homebuyer program. The remaining two units will be sold to Homestretch, a partner nonprofit offering supportive housing to women and families exiting homelessness. HomeAid and Drees Homes will provide discounted sitework and land development before construction.
With countless government and community members in attendance, including, our CEO Kristyn Burr proudly welcomed supporters, adding, “HomeAid and our partners understand that the physical environment in which we live and work significantly affects a person’s ability to succeed. We are thrilled to be here today to break ground on this project and to celebrate the collaboration of so many organizations coming together to solve and address a critical need in our community: housing.”
A Night in Morocco Gala and Auction
Saturday, November 9, 2024
6:30 PM to 10:30 PM
Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles
14750 Conference Center Dr. Chantilly, VA 20151
Pulte Golf Tournament
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Raspberry Falls Golf and Hunt Club
41601 Raspberry Dr, Leesburg, VA. 20176
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.
