Executive Director & CEO Corner
Summer is here, and with it, HomeAid has queued up a full schedule of fundraising, networking, and awareness events; recognition celebrations; and events designed to make fun family memories. Coming up next week, I’m looking forward to our favorite summer fundraiser – our annual Builders & Friends BBQ – where we celebrate our partners, recognize our Trade Partner of the Year, and have a blast playing cornhole, catching up, and enjoying some great BBQ! On the heels of that, we’ll wrap up our Builder for Babies diapers & wipes collection drive, providing the gift of comfort to our community’s littlest humans and relieving what can be a $1,000 expense per baby per year for our nonprofit partners and their clients. We’re in full planning mode for Arts in the Park in August, when we’ll welcome kids, families, and nonprofit staff to Wolf Trap’s Little Theater in the Woods. This event is really important to me, because it’s become a special way that we can treat the nonprofit staff who work so hard on the front lines, doing incredibly hard and stressful work. And, as you’ll read in this issue of Building Hope, we also recently wrapped up a hugely successful Care Day with NVBIA’s Future Leaders, cleaning up and landscaping the yards of eight townhomes owned by Cornerstones, so that residents can play and rejuvenate outside this summer.
What I love about this summer lineup is the focus on efforts beyond the actual construction and building of properties. Yes, that remains a core focus, but HomeAid has become so much more than that, as we work to take more of the burden off of our provider partners. Money not spent on diapers can go toward life skills training. Beautiful outdoor space boosts mental health. A dreamy family outing to Wolf Trap, without having to worry about how to pay for it, makes lasting memories and serves to introduce kids to the arts. A fun networking celebration with our partners reminds us all why we do what we do. This is a summer I’m really excited about, and I can’t wait to see you!
With gratitude,
In the Spotlight
Making Summer Magic with Arts in the Park
On Saturday, August 6, HomeAid Northern Virginia will host Arts in the Park at Wolf Trap’s Children’s Theater in the Woods, featuring “The Amazing Max,” a master illusionist and magician. We are offering free tickets to our nonprofit partners, so please contact Cilda Pretorius to reserve tickets for your staff and clients.
Donations & Sponsorships Welcome!
Longtime supporters of the event may remember that we typically launch a backpack collection drive for this event; since we are currently focusing efforts on our Builders for Babies diaper drive, we will instead purchase backpacks to ensure that every child in attendance can still hand-pick a new backpack – one of the most exciting parts about preparing to go back to school. Sponsorship opportunities are available, and 100% of the funds will support Arts in the Park and summertime memory-making!
In Your Neighborhood
Help Us Reach Our Goal of 50,000 Diapers & Wipes!
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.Help us change that reality by participating in our 2022 Builders for Babies diaper drive, running now through Father’s Day (June 19th)! Two of the easiest and most effective ways to get involved include:
- 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.
Contact Georgeanne Harter at 703.953.3529 for more information!
In Your Community
Toll Brothers, Van Metre Homes Win HBAV Housing Excellence Award
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.
Making It Count
Care Day 2022: Giving the Gift of the Outdoors!
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.
Gray Coyner
Support Spotlight
Putting the Power of a Team Behind the American Dream
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.
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.
Announcements
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 YouA 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.
Partners for Affordable HousingOn May 21, HomeAid Northern Virginia Executive Director and CEO Kristyn Burr attended an Affordable Housing Town Hall Meeting as one of four speakers who discussed a proposal to build 10 affordable townhomes in Fairfax City in partnership with Fairfax Presbyterian Church, which owns the land where the townhomes are proposed; Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia; and Homestretch.
Save the Date
Builders for Babies Diaper Drive
Sunday, May 8, 2022 to Sunday, June 19, 2022
Drop off donations to HomeAid’s office June 21st to 23rd
Builders and Friends BBQ
Thursday, June 16, 2022 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
The National Botanic Garden
Register Now!
Thursday, June 16, 2022 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
The National Botanic Garden
Register Now!
Toll Brothers Charity Golf Event
Monday, June 20, 2022
Belmont Country Club
Ashburn, VA
Benefiting HomeAid Northern Virginia
HomeAid Golf Tournament
Friday, September 16, 2022 7:00 AM (Registration)
Rasberry Falls Golf & Hunt Club
Friday, September 16, 2022 7:00 AM (Registration)
Rasberry Falls Golf & Hunt Club
Arts in the Park
This event is for our shelter partners, their staff and clients
Saturday, August 6, 2022
HomeAid Gala and Auction
Saturday, November 12, 2022 6:30 PM
Lansdowne Resort and Spa
