Executive Director’s Corner
In gratitude, |
|
|
HomeAid Honored with “Stand-Up Award” by Ms. Veteran America |
 On October 8, HomeAid Northern Virginia – along with Winchester Homes, Home Depot Foundation, and Van Metre Foundation – was honored by Final Salute, Inc., at the 6th Annual Ms. Veteran America event in recognition of our strong support of women veterans. All four organizations are involved in the 2017 renovation of “Karen’s Home” in Alexandria, owned by Final Salute, which upon its completion will provide housing for up to 10 women veterans and their children.
Representatives from all four organizations were present to accept the award at the black-tie event, and all look forward to completing a project that will help make the home a safe, stable sanctuary for women veterans, who are three times more likely to be homeless than their male counterparts. The Ms. Veteran America awards event also served to bring more attention to (according to Final Salute, Inc.) the estimated 55,000 homeless women veterans nationwide – more than half of whom are single mothers – and honor the two million women who have served in the U.S. military. |
 |
 |
$30,000+ Raised for HomeAid at Cornhole Challenge |
  On Saturday, October 7, Van Metre hosted its 6th Annual Van Metre Cornhole Challenge, with 28 teams raising more than $100,000 for five organizations – HomeAid Northern Virginia, Emerging Scholars, HeroHomes, Payton’s Project, and Stillbrave. Twenty participating teams raised over $30,000 for HomeAid, helping ensure our continued efforts to build and renovate homes for the homeless. HomeAid Board Member Mike Sandkuhler’s team, in fact, took home bragging rights as raising the most of any team – thank you Mike and Josh Conlon of the Humble Heroes team! Special thanks also to Brian Davidson and Regis Arnold, on Team Tremendous Egos, for also raising big money for HomeAid!
The 2017 Cornhole Challenge was presented by Buhl Electric Company as part of the Brambleton Fall Festival and was hosted by the Van Metre Companies Foundation. |
 |
 |
NVBIA’s Future Leaders Donate $550 to HomeAid’s Fill the Fridge |
 November is Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Month, and NVBIA’s Future Leaders helped bring attention to it – and be part of the solution – by collecting $550 worth of grocery gift cards at their recent Oktoberfest networking event at Mustang Sally Brewery in Chantilly. The group donated the cards to HomeAid’s Fill the Fridge program, and will donate them to homeless families and individuals moving into HomeAid’s completed projects.
The cards are preferable to canned goods, because they empower families to make healthy choices at the grocery store, and purchase perishables like fruit and milk. “As a group, we knew we wanted to do something to give back to the community,” said Avi Sareen, 2017 chair for Future Leaders, “and in chatting with Kristyn [Burr] at the golf tournament, we realized our Oktoberfest event—held on October 26—would be a great way to kickstart Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Month. We gave people the option of bringing grocery cards of any denomination or making a financial donation so that we could purchase the cards for them. The night was a nice mix of networking informally with friends and colleagues while supporting an organization we believe so strongly in.” According to Feeding America, one in seven children in Virginia struggle with hunger on a daily basis. Thank you, Future Leaders, for making a real difference in the lives of families seeking a fresh start in the Northern Virginia area! |
 |
| Like what you’ve read? Don’t miss out on next month’s issue of #BuildingHope! Subscribe Now!
Read: |
Next week, our nation will recognize our military on Veterans Day. Last week, many of us at HomeAid were reminded that women veterans often have vastly different experiences than their male counterparts, when we were honored by Final Salute, Inc., at their Ms. Veteran America event in recognition of our work on a transitional home for women veterans and their children. We heard intense stories from 10 women also honored at the event, who have surmounted challenges ranging from homelessness to assault. It was both empowering and heart-wrenching, and it reminded me of my six years as a military spouse, when I saw for myself the gaps and discrepancies between men and women in the military. VA benefits cannot reach all of our nation’s veterans, and today, women veterans are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. Worse, we’re not even capturing the true story of how many women have no place to call home: “Point in time” counts of the homeless don’t include those who bounce around between friends and/or family—which is what most mothers do in order to protect their children. Ms. Veteran America was an important event for a host of reasons – it gave a voice to women whose stories must be told, it recognized the millions of women who have bravely served our country, and it reminded me that something as simple as a renovation on one home can have a powerful ripple effect throughout a community. I’m proud that HomeAid and our partners are at the center of ensuring that ripple gets started.
Since its founding in 2010, Final Salute has supported more than 3,600 women veterans and their children in approximately 30 states and territories, provided 12,000+ housing days, and raised over $2 million to support to women veterans – now the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. This kind of support, said Founder Jas Boothe, wouldn’t be possible without the “heroes behind the heroes” – including organizations such as HomeAid, Winchester Homes, Home Depot Foundation and Van Metre.
Miriam Goldin is one of the many keys to HomeAid’s success. A retired teacher from Fairfax County; a new grandmother; and a busy member of Inclusion Consultants, where she teaches teenagers and adults effective communication and social skills, she somehow manages to find time each year to help plan and coordinate HomeAid’s fundraising Gala. Philanthropy is important to Miriam’s family; when their three kids were young, she and her husband emphasized the importance of community service. They continue to be involved with several organizations, and her husband travels to the Philippines each year, where he volunteers as a dentist. Read more to find out what motivates Miriam to donate a tremendous amount of her time to HomeAid, and what keeps her coming back each year.
Alexandra, enrolled in the Bachelor of Individualized Studies (BIS) program at George Mason University, is majoring in hospitality/tourism/events and hopes to graduate in 2019. Attracted to HomeAid because its mission aligns so closely with her own values, Alexandra hopes that her real-world experience with HomeAid will help her plan and execute major social and fundraising events, so that she can becoming an effective event coordinator.
“As a returning intern, I am ultimately impressed with the hard work and dedication of HomeAid Northern Virginia’s staff, and by its housing renovation projects that result in such comfortable, updated homes for those in life transition,” she said. “This internship has not only brought dramatic and exciting exposure to marketing events, networking, and digital marketing, but it also helps me realize how much we can affect the quality of lives for others in need, who are working their way back. I’m proud to be here.”