“At Carpenter’s Shelter, we are all about teaching,” said Fran Becker, former Carpenter’s Shelter Executive Director. “This is a long-held dream come true! Even in this economy, we never gave up on our dream for more classrooms – our tools for helping our residents succeed. And now, because of HomeAid Northern Virginia and EYA, we’re going to have wonderful classrooms and counseling rooms.” Carpenter’s Shelter works to create self-sufficiency for homeless and formerly homeless children, families and adults in the Alexandria community.

In partnership with HomeAid Northern Virginia, Builder Captain EYA and numerous trade partners renovated existing interior space in Carpenter’s Shelter Center of Learning in Alexandria. The estimated $165,000 renovation will significantly upgrade the space that Carpenter’s Shelter has occupied since 1999. The renovation was completed in July 2010.

On April 1, representatives from these companies, funding partners and city leaders attended the kick-off ceremony held in the space slated for renovation. “We are very proud to work on this project,” said John DeZinno, HomeAid Northern Virginia Board President and Senior Vice President, Bank of America. “We couldn’t do it without our Builder Captain, EYA, and our trade partners. The true magic of HomeAid is that, with the help of EYA and its trade partners, we can help save money for an organization like Carpenter’s Shelter so that they can focus their resources on providing much-needed support to the local community.”

“Partnerships are really what communities are made of,” said John Fahey, EYA’s Sr. Vice President. EYA was established in 1992 with the vision of building innovative urban neighborhoods to the highest standards. “We’ve been active in Alexandria since the founding of the company,” said Fahey. “Getting involved with this project is our way of saying thank you to the community and to the city.”

Matt Sheldon, Esq., Chair of Carpenter’s Shelter Board of Directors, also believes in the power of partnerships. “Once a year, the Carpenter’s Shelter board and staff get together to discuss the strategic direction of the organization at our annual retreat. A couple of years ago, with growing concern for the economy, we spent a lot of time discussing how we would get through tough times. We knew it was time to look to others – we couldn’t do what we needed to do alone. I can’t think of a better example of partnership than what we’re beginning with HomeAid Northern Virginia. On behalf of the board and staff I want to thank EYA, Rust Orling Architecture, Commercial Carpets of America and all the trade partners.”