Executive Director & CEO Corner
HomeAid National Capital Region is a small nonprofit that fundraises year-round to manage overhead and sustain our projects and programs throughout the year. Our fundraising strategy consists primarily of hosting events with our largest fundraiser, Building for Change Gala and Auction, just around the corner on Saturday, November 11th. The Gala and Auction allows our donors and supporters to witness firsthand the impact their donations make and to celebrate our mission. It also provides people with lots of different ways to give back whether it be by sponsoring, bidding on auction items or raising their paddle at the event to give at any donation level.
As with all of our events, the money raised is unrestricted, which means HomeAid can help close the gaps on projects between what is donated by the Builder Captain and Trades Partners and what the project costs. So far this year, we’ve contributed $64,946 of unrestricted funding to see five projects through to completion.
We are so grateful to the sponsors and guests who attend these events because they help us sustain our mission all year long and allow us to continue our unique model of working directly with nonprofits to create construction solutions that work for them and the people they serve. I hope you continue to lean into giving to HomeAid and perhaps take it a step further by helping us identify new supporters who want to invest in our local communities’ futures!
With gratitude,
In the Neighborhood
Reserve Your Gala Table!
Our biggest fundraiser of the year – the ‘Building for Change’ 2023 Gala & Auction – is in just another month, and now is the time to secure your table and pledge your commitment as a Table Captain! By purchasing a gala table for 10 you are committing to helping spread the word to people in your circle who may be interested in learning more about HomeAid and networking with other industry professionals. We also hope you are carefully considering inviting people to sit at your table who are interested in giving back to their community and who would be interested in investing in our mission of providing safe and dignified housing and programmatic facilities for those experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
Have some ideas about who you would invite? Then please help us introduce HomeAid to a wide range of new faces this November by becoming a Table Captain! Of course, all of your guests will enjoy hors d’oeuvres, an open bar, live music, dinner, a silent and live auction, and our fabulous after-party. But more importantly, they’ll learn how we turn dreams into reality: At a recent project, for example, we turned a vacant building into a space suited for afterschool programs where kids can gather to do their homework, discover a hobby, pursue a passion, and build ties with their community – saving our nonprofit partner $117,00 in labor, time, and expertise, all of which was 100% donated.
We look forward to seeing you on November 11!
In Your Community
HomeAid’s Golf Tournament a Sold-Out Success
Thank you to the 150+ golfers, sponsors, and supporters who joined us for a picture-perfect day in September for our sold-out Golf Tournament at Raspberry Falls! Together, we raised over $150,000 to support our mission of helping people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness build new lives through construction, community engagement, and education. Extra congratulations to the following golfers who – in addition to giving back – brought home bragging rights!
Looking for photos from the day? Be sure to check out our Flickr album
Looking for photos from the day? Be sure to check out our Flickr album
Making It Count
Thank You, Third Party Event Hosts!
September was a big month for HomeAid, with three third-party fundraisers bringing in over $129,000 to support our mission! We extend our enormous thanks to K. Hovnanian Homes, Pulte Homes, and Sight & Sound for planning and hosting these fundraising events on our behalf, which – in addition to bringing in much-needed funds – also expand our capacity to spread awareness and increase education about our mission.
For the 5th year in a row K. Hovnanian named HomeAid the beneficiary of their Mid-Atlantic Trade Partner Council Golf Tournament, bringing in $36,000, and Pulte Homes – which has generously hosted a golf tournament for us since 2012 – raised over $90,000 this year. Then, Sight and Sound organized and hosted a tech continuing education event for builders, helping introduce HomeAid to new builders and guests who were in attendance and raised nearly $3,000 for us through their raffle!
Interested in learning how you can support HomeAid through a third-party event? Please contact Julianna Blaylock!
Support Spotlight
From Trade Partner to Service Leader
Signature Companies, a cabinetry, stairway, and railing company, has been one of our most stalwart partners since our founding, participating in dozens of projects, being named our 2016 Trade Partner of the Year, and regularly supporting our events and fundraisers. Today, Daniel Lombardozzi serves as the company president, a role he took over about five years ago from his father, who first bought the company in 1991. Running a family-owned company isn’t the only tradition he has continued, however; Daniel has also made it a priority to continue the company’s family-focused and philanthropic corporate culture by partnering with HomeAid.
Q: From your first project with us through to your most recent, what inspires you to stay so deeply invested in helping advance our mission?
A: HomeAid’s mission resonates with us, and it feels so rewarding to use this platform to do some good in our community. Our company is a niche segment of the economy, and it’s not one that we could otherwise use very easily to help people in need. HomeAid bridges that gap for us, and we all enjoy being able to use our skills and resources to contribute.
Q: What have you been most surprised to learn about homelessness in the area?
A: It’s alarming how widespread it is. HomeAid has done a phenomenal job bringing local realities to light, and we’re a receptive audience; my mom has dedicated her life to volunteering, so I was raised with a give-back mentality. She currently runs a food pantry, and delivering food to families who live in typical neighborhoods has repeatedly reminded me that people in need are all around us. We take so much for granted in this area, but the need is so prevalent – you just have to recognize it.
Q: What do you enjoy most about volunteering with HomeAid?
A: You get out way more than you put in, and it’s so rewarding and satisfying. Until you do it, you can’t understand what you’re missing, but once you do it, you can’t imagine not doing it. We started this path when a builder reached out to us for help on a charity project, and we jumped in. It’s such an easy ‘yes’ for us; we can make a difference, and it matters.
Q: Tell us about your career – and what do you love most about the building community? A: Ever since my dad purchased the company in 1991, we have all treated it as a true family business, which we extend to our employees. They’re our best asset. I love the industry as a whole, mostly because there’s never a dull moment, nothing ever goes perfectly, and every day is a little chaotic. But that’s what keeps it interesting, and getting to interact regularly with the people in this industry is what makes it fun. It seems like a big industry, but in reality, it’s not. It’s a lot smaller than anyone realizes until they start working it.
Announcements
Household Essentials Drive
The giving season is almost upon us, and our Home Essentials Drive makes it extra easy to volunteer this year! Whether you coordinate a drive with your office or book club, or choose to shop solo from your desk, every item on our nonprofit partners’ Amazon Wish Lists has been hand-selected to ensure it fills clients’ real needs. All household essentials will be shipped directly to our office, where the items will be organized and delivered to our partners. Donations have a second benefit; the funds our partners save by not having to purchase these essentials means more funding for programs and services and clients get a fresh start and items to call their own! The Home Essentials Drive will run from now through December.
Welcome
A warm welcome to Caryn Krupczark, our new part-time Events and Fundraising Assistant! Caryn graduated from the College of Charleston in 2020 with a B.A. in Science and taught first and second grades, earning praise for her creative teaching methods and success in improving her students’ reading and comprehension skills, especially during a year of remote teaching. Caryn has prior experience volunteering with nonprofits serving those experiencing homelessness, and, with her strong event planning and communication skills, we are eager to have her contribute to the growth of our organization.
Upcoming Events
Building for Change HomeAid Gala and Auction
November 11, 2023
6:30p.m to 10:30p.m.
Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles, Chantilly, VA.
Registration and Sponsorships now open!
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