As you’ll read about in this issue, we have several third-party fundraising events coming up, with golf and cornhole tournaments planned and hosted by some of our biggest supporters – K Hovnanian, Pulte, and Van Metre. All three have named HomeAid their beneficiary, which will directly support our operations and help fill gaps throughout the year. Operational support is extremely important to HomeAid because we are not a direct service organization and don’t qualify for most grant programs.

But there’s so much more to them that doesn’t always meet the eye. From my seat, I also see them as saving our small staff of five from what would require an unsustainable amount of planning, registration, and on-site logistics, allowing us to instead focus on the details of our building and renovation projects, events, and fundraisers like the Gala & Auction.

Through these events, people also find out about us and hear our name for what might be the very first time. This month, a little girl who had been listening to her dad talk about his company’s work with HomeAid decided to celebrate her birthday by hosting a bake sale and donating the proceeds to HomeAid.

I have no idea how many guests knew about HomeAid before these parties, but I know that they all know about us now. They’ve learned of our mission and who we serve, and for many of them, it may be the first time they’ve ever really understood how pervasive homelessness is in our communities. Multiply that by 10 or 300, year after year, and the impact of third-party events becomes, quite literally, eye-opening.

Best of all, every event of every size is equally important to us; whether the people hosting are grownups or kids, and whether the events are a sold-out golf tournament or a kid’s birthday party, we’re making connections where we didn’t have them before, and we’re making lasting impressions with people in our region. These events prove everyone can make a difference in their own way, and we are so grateful to the people who make HomeAid their charity of choice.

Disposable diapers cost nearly $1,000 a year per child, a formidable expense for any family already struggling to make ends meet. It often leads to desperate parents trying to stretch supplies by leaving diapers on their babies too long or reusing diapers, leading to painful diaper rash and discomfort.

• Shop our Amazon wishlist, which will ship directly to our HomeAid Northern Virginia office.
• Stop by between June 21-23, 2022, to drop off donations at our office at 3684 Centerview Drive, Suite 110B Chantilly, VA 20151.

Home Aid Northern Virginia was honored to nominate our longtime partners, Toll Brothers and Van Metre Homes, to the Home Builders Association of Virginia’s (HBAV) Housing Excellence Awards for their restoration of a home owned by Bethany House, which provides a safe haven for women and children survivors of domestic violence. Last night, we were even more excited to see them win! The award – which recognizes companies that exemplify leadership, engagement, and dedication to the success of the HBA, community, and the Virginia building industry – was presented at the Housing Excellence Awards Celebration in Virginia Beach.

The project saved Bethany House nearly $250,000 and doubled its capacity so that more people needing a hand up could be served in Fairfax County. A well-deserved win for Toll Brothers and Van Metre Homes; congratulations!

Photos of the project are available online.

Volunteers from HomeAid Northern Virginia and NVBIA’s Future Leaders of the Building Industry lent their time and muscle on May 11 to clean up and beautify the landscapes of eight townhomes – all affordable housing units owned by Cornerstones – at this year’s Spring Care Day. The 23 volunteers trimmed, weeded, planted flowers, and mulched the front and backyards at all of the housing units after coordinating donations and raising enough funds to cover 100 percent of the materials. Afterward, the group gathered at Aslin Beer Company in Herndon for networking and well-earned cold drinks.

Care Days are hands-on volunteer service days during which volunteers come together to give back to a local HomeAid nonprofit partner by landscaping, organizing, and cleaning. If your company is interested in hosting a Care Day, please contact Kristyn Burr.

Thank you to all who participated and to the companies who generously donated goods and materials to make this project possible.

Aslin Beer Company

Beazer

Gray Coyner

Denison Landscaping

JK Enterprises

South Riding Nurseries

Stadler Nurseries – Bristow

Traffic Safety Supplies, Inc.

Weider Contracting

Mohawk Flooring, has been a valued trade partner for many years, and the company most recently joined the team to renovate two buildings owned by the Congregational Community Action Program (CCAP), Inc. in Winchester. Read on to learn more about why Mohawk and Senior Business Development Manager – Mid-Atlantic Jonathan Shedlosky continue to work with us and our nonprofit partners to provide housing and wraparound services for those in need.

Q: What inspires Mohawk Flooring to say “yes!” to helping out with projects with HomeAid?

A: We are happy to play an important role in the construction industry with our products and great culture. We value people, as that is the true strength in what we do, how we do it, and whom we serve as the end-user of our products. HomeAid works to help those at risk of or experiencing homelessness, which is, unfortunately, a common challenge for many. So, if we can help HomeAid fill a need, it is an easy yes for our team to get involved.

Q: What have you enjoyed most about working with Builder Captains and other trade partners on HomeAid projects?

A: It’s all about the relationships; our valued partnerships with Richmond American Homes and Darvish Interiors brought this most recent opportunity with CCAP about, and we could not be happier in finding a solution as a team. When we work on a cause together like this, we are reminded of our role in the industry and what delivering a home can mean to those in need. I would recommend anyone in the building industry to consider such a cause.

Q: What do you love most about your career and the homebuilding industry?

A: Being a part of the American Dream! Homeownership has always been a challenge and is becoming an ever-growing one, with rising costs over the past few years. But it’s fun to be a part of an industry where your product is seen everywhere. As a flooring representative, I can’t help but walk into a room and look at the floor. We bring function, style, and warmth to a space. It just feels right that we’re one of the final trades in the door to tie a project together.

Welcome

Please join us in welcoming Jackson Stone, summer intern, to our staff for the summer! Jackson will help our busy staff with a wide variety of tasks, including programs and events, grants, communications, and projects. A rising senior at Virginia Commonwealth University, Jackson is a political science major who loves to travel, is passionate about music, and enjoys sports and running. He looks forward to gaining valuable work experience at HomeAid and is excited to meet new people and develop valuable professional social skills and relationships.

Thank You

A big round of thanks to Wells Fargo for the generous $10,000 grant, 100 percent of which will go toward supporting our mission of building and renovating homes for those experiencing homelessness and supporting wrap-around services that meet the needs of our partners’ clients.