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HomeAid, Toll Brothers Dedicate New Home for Youth For Tomorrow
“HomeAid, Toll Brothers, and its network of trade partners have provided an amazing gift to the children and students in our care,” said Dr. Gary Jones, CEO of YFT. “This was not just a construction project; it was a homebuilding project in the truest sense of the word, providing a safe, stable, and secure place for girls coming out of hardship to grow and rebuild. This home will help nurture the spirits of hundreds and hundreds of girls who come to our campus today and in the years ahead.”
One-third of the project’s cost was donated by HomeAid, Toll Brothers, and its trade partners, with the remaining funds covered by the generous donation of YFT philanthropist Bob Wiser. The home will be named The Brenda House, in honor of Mr. Wiser’s beloved niece. |
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 When Young and Trish Kim, founders and owners of Staged Interior, a professional home staging company, started making plans to celebrate their 10th year in business, they envisioned a huge celebration with clients and supporters at their furniture warehouse. But the more they thought about it, they decided instead to do something for someone else rather than throw a bash for themselves.
“We had HomeAid in the back of our minds for a while,” explained Young, “because our paths kept crossing and we liked what we were seeing. We joined NVBIA last year and heard about HomeAid through them, and we were familiar with Youth For Tomorrow, because our previous church had a booth at its Country Fair event a few years ago. When we learned that HomeAid had already built one home for Youth For Tomorrow and a second home was being planned, it seemed like there was no better opportunity to give back to the community and make a donation to this newest home on campus. Working with Youth For Tomorrow to find out exactly what the girls living in the homes would need, Staged Interior set out to collect furniture and accessories to make the house a home, including different sets of bedding and towels to ensure that each girl can express her individuality. Staged Interior is also donating artwork, rugs, TVs, kitchenware, and toiletries, striving to be a one-stop-shop for the residents of the 5,000 square foot home.
“We are overwhelmed and deeply touched by the incredible generosity and the thoughtful gift from Young and Trish Kim and Staged Interior,” said YFT CEO Dr. Gary Jones. “Their contribution of furniture, bedding, and all the household items—with a retail value of $85,000—will certainly relieve us of the expense to outfit the home, and allow additional funding to support girls who are placed in this new home who come unfunded.” Young and Trish founded Staged Interior in 2006, working with local Realtors to stage homes on the market. The company grew out of their home into a 15,000 square foot warehouse in Chantilly with 14 team members. The company has staged more than $1 billion worth of real estate listings in 10 years, with their clients’ staged homes selling, on average, in 20 days vs. the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors’ average of 50 days on the market. |
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Three Builder Captains Accept Four HomeAid ProjectsCalAtlantic Homes is HomeAid’s newest partner
Ryland Homes served as a HomeAid Builder Captain in 2011, and Tim Bates, now Washington, D.C., division president for CalAtlantic, is a former HomeAid Northern Virginia Board member. He has worked on several HomeAid projects, as well, with K. Hovnanian Homes and again with Arcadia Communities. Scott Stowell, executive chairman of the board for CalAtlantic Group and the former president and CEO of Standard Pacific Corp, also serves on the Board of HomeAid America. “We’re excited to invest in the community through philanthropic opportunities like this under the CalAtlantic banner,” Bates added, “and continue the founding companies’ traditions of giving back. It’s an ingrained part of CalAtantic’s philosophy, and our team here in the D.C. metro region is behind us 100 percent. We’re committed to making every project the very best it can be, at as little cost to HomeAid as possible.” Three additional HomeAid projects will also soon be underway, thanks to returning Builder Captains Van Metre Homes and K. Hovnanian Homes, which have accepted projects for the ACTS Women Empowerment Center and The Brain Foundation, respectively.
“HomeAid Northern Virginia cannot fulfill its mission without the support and volunteerism of Builder Captains and their trade partners,” said HomeAid President Greg Carter. “I cannot overstate how grateful we are to these companies and to the individuals who are making these projects a reality … it’s impossible to quantify how deeply they will positively affect the lives of the men, women, and children who will benefit from having a safe, supportive home environment today and in the future, thanks to their work on these four projects.” Builder Captains are needed for additional projects of varying scope in Alexandria, Herndon, Springfield, and Woodbridge. Contact Kristyn Burr for details, and join HomeAid’s growing list of homebuilders in our prestigious Builders Circle of Excellence! |
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Register Today for the Hottest Party in Town:
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Russ Rosenberger to be Honored with Presidents’ Award
In announcing the decision to honor Rosenberger, HomeAid Northern Virginia President Greg Carter said, “This award recognizes not just Russ’ years of selfless volunteerism – and his company’s support – for HomeAid, but it also honors the unique and valuable perspectives he brings to every challenge and opportunity we face. His professional and legal background was enormously helpful as our Board reviewed and updated our strategic plan. His focus on always raising HomeAid’s visibility meant a fresh new marketing idea at Madison Homes, whereby the company started providing educational information and donating $10 to HomeAid for every new prospect who visited their sales office. He comes to meetings with a collaborative attitude and is a solid, long-time board member who everybody trusts, respects, and counts on. He is a key component of HomeAid’s success, and I am so pleased to see him recognized with this award.” Rosenberger has served as HomeAid’s president for two terms, has been an active member of the HomeAid Northern Virginia Board since 2004, and helped shape the organization’s future by serving on the strategic plan committee in 2013 and 2016. Madison Homes, a three-time Builder Captain, is also a major contributor to HomeAid’s shelter care projects. “I’m just one small piece of the overall effort that goes into everything HomeAid does,” Rosenberger said. “I know how hard it is to make these award selections—there are always any number of people who are deserving—and while I’m well aware that I’m not the only person in this incredible organization who is deserving of this award, I am honored.” The Presidents’ Award will be presented to Rosenberger at the Gala, along with the Trade Partner of the Year Award, which will this year be presented to Signature Companies. The Nonprofit Service Provider Project of the Year Award will be announced and presented on-site, as well. |
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HomeAid Northern Virginia to Participate in National Homelessness Awareness Effort
“Homelessness remains a huge problem in this country,” said Peter Simons, CEO of HomeAid America, “and for the richest country in the world to allow so many to go unfed and unsheltered is a national tragedy. There are a lot of philanthropic efforts in the fall—particularly during the week surrounding Thanksgiving—but it’s not enough for the 3.5 million Americans who experience homelessness, one million of whom are children. The struggles they face—including job loss, medical crisis, domestic abuse, alcohol or drug addiction, and post-traumatic stress syndrome in veterans—aren’t short-lived problems and are just some of the issues we hope to focus on and discuss during HomeAid’s Homelessness Awareness Month.” HomeAid Northern Virginia will have multiple opportunities to participate in the campaign, including hosting a toy drive during our 15th Anniversary Gala & Auction on November 5; Executive Director Christy Zeitz’s attendance at a Virginia Governor’s Housing Conference November 16 to 18; trade partner appreciation luncheons as projects are wrapped up in November; and special promotions tied to our Helping Hands program, which coordinates the donation of grocery gift cards and household essentials, such as cookware, bed linens, towels, shower curtains, and dishes, for projects that HomeAid and our Builder Captain partners complete. Find out how YOU can participate in National Homelessness Awareness Week! |
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Rabil Makes Fundraising Fun with Cornhole Bean Bags
Q: How was the idea of the Van Metre Cornhole Challenge first conceived? A: I started the event in a previous job, thinking it would be fun to have a cornhole tournament for charity. I was involved with a charity for homeless children in D.C. at the time, and we put on our first tournament in 2012. The next year, we did it for another charity I was involved with, and then by the time the third tournament rolled around, I was with Van Metre. We had just started the Van Metre Companies Foundation, and we wanted to put on this tournament to strengthen the Van Metre Companies Foundation platform. We decided to partner with HomeAid Northern Virginia since we already had such a great relationship with them, and we believe in its mission. It’s a fun event to host. It has an enjoyable atmosphere, and I live in Brambleton so was able to partner with The Brambleton Fall Festival for the tournament. For the last four years, in fact, the Brambleton Fall Festival has been kind enough to give us space to host this tournament. It’s a win-win, because the tournament brings a new crop of people to Brambleton, and it’s good for us because we don’t have to search for a location every year—and we have thousands of people from the festival to share our cause with. It’s worked out really well. I’m very thankful to Brambleton for allowing us to do it. Q: How was HomeAid Northern Virginia lucky enough to be the beneficiary of the annual Cornhole Challenge? A: Van Metre remains involved with HomeAid Northern Virginia because we believe in the mission. The cornhole tournament had been running for a couple of years, and we decided to link it with HomeAid since the two organizations are such a good fit. We’ve done a shelter project for them, and we decided to partner with them for this event too. Three years ago, we raised $30,000 for HomeAid; last year, we raised $37,000. This year, our goal is $50,000. It’s a sizable goal, but it’s been going well. Q: How are you hoping to achieve that goal? A: We’re using a couple of new strategies this year. First, we changed the format: In the past, we did a single-elimination or a double-elimination tournament. This year, we’re calling it King’s Court and will have 16 sets of boards and 32 teams. On one end of the field is the Kings Court, and that’s where you want to get to. On the other end of the field is Board 16. So the more money you raise leading up to the tournament, the better your starting position. The goal is to try to raise a lot of money leading up to the tournament so that you’ll have a better starting position. And as you win games, you get closer to King’s Court. As you lose games, you get farther away. So, that’s one strategy to make it even more fun and hopefully raise more money. What we really want to do is get people engaged in the weeks and months leading up to the event. Also new this year is the fact that The Van Metre Companies Foundation has agreed to make a matching donation of up to half of what we raise. We raised $37,000 last year, and if we raise $37,000 again, the Foundation will match $18,500. That’s how we’re hoping to meet our goal of at least $50,000; that level of commitment from Van Metre has been welcomed, and we’re very appreciative of it. Q: Are the funds raised this year designated for a particular HomeAid project? A: Yes. When I started this five years ago, my goal was to have all of the tournament expenses funded by donors so that every dollar raised could go straight to the cause. HomeAid has a similar approach; the cost of a lot of HomeAid Northern Virginia projects are also almost 100 percent donated. That’s another reason why this partnership is such a great fit. The funds raised through this year’s Cornhole Challenge will go toward HomeAid’s Final Salute project. Q: Van Metre also won HomeAid’s Backpack Challenge this year. What accounts for your company’s commitment to philanthropy and enthusiasm? A: Van Metre was founded on strong philanthropic values: The founder, Al Van Metre, who started the company in 1955, was a huge philanthropist. It’s been the culture of the company ever since and has translated to the executive team and everybody that works for the team. It’s a core value of the company. Not only do we have the Cornhole Challenge, but we’ve also been hosting the Van Metre five-mile run for more than 25 years, which has raised millions of dollars for Children’s National Medical Center—specifically the cardiology department. Philanthropy has been a big driver of who we are as a company, and I think everybody who comes to work here just ‘gets it’ immediately. In terms of the backpack challenge, we had collection sites in our three main offices, and we hosted a company picnic at a minor league baseball game for the Potomac Nationals, where we asked everybody to bring a backpack to that game as part of coming to the picnic. That was a big driver of participation. Q: What are your thoughts about Van Metre’s connection to HomeAid Northern Virginia? A: I think Van Metre’s leadership participation with HomeAid has made the company more involved and more connected. Our tie to homelessness issues is also a natural connection and just makes sense, since we build houses. I think that HomeAid is incredible, the way it gets all the major players in the Northern Virginia homebuilding industry together for a common purpose. When you look around, almost everybody is involved, and the participation rate is high. They’ve successfully taken companies that are normally competing with each other to come together, sit at the same table, and work to accomplish the same vision and purpose. |
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Welcome
Pretorius is originally from South Africa and worked for the South African Department of International Relations & Cooperation for 16 years as a Diplomat. She came to the U.S. as a Diplomat in 2001 and decided to return after her posting in 2008. She is very familiar with HomeAid Northern Virginia, after helping out in a temporary staffing position during special events such as the Builders & Friends BBQ. “I absolutely love the work HomeAid does, and I am very proud to be a part of its full time staff,” she said. Cilda Pretorius can be reached at 703.953.3525.
“I could have fulfilled my internship requirement in a variety of ways, but I wanted to help improve the lives of others,” she said. “HomeAid is the perfect fit for me, and I feel so comfortable and at home with the staff here. I look forward to helping make a difference, and I’m anxious to learn how non-profits like HomeAid gather the resources they need to accomplish their hefty goals and stay financially viable.” Looking into the distant future, Emily hopes her career will some day lead her to a very special home … as the owner and operator of an old-fashioned Bed & Breakfast. For students looking for meaningful work experience, an internship with HomeAid can launch a career. HomeAid is offering internships in a variety of positions, and all offer meaningful, real-world work experience in a busy office. Stipends available! To apply, send a cover letter and resume to info@homeaidncr.org. |
Cilda Pretorius has joined our staff as communications & events manager.
Emily McDonough, a senior at Brigham Young University-Hawaii majoring in hospitality and tourism management – finance track, has joined HomeAid’s staff as our fundraising and events intern.