Executive Director & CEO Corner
Builder for Babies started out as a small grassroots effort to collect diapers and wipes for some of our nonprofit partners that had expressed that they needed them for their young families. Our first year, we collected 30,000 diapers around the winter holidays, and we were delighted to see so many of our supporters grab hold of this new idea and new effort. Every year since, the program has grown – and along with that growth, we’ve fine-tuned it and expanded it to the point that we’re now setting a goal of 250,000 diapers for more than two dozen of our nonprofit partners.
We’ve moved the collection drive to run between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and we have a dedicated page on our website, where volunteers can easily sign up for both collections or to help sort and deliver donations. And this year, we’re partnering with a wholesale diaper company that will provide “Builder for Babies” branded diapers – at a more economical cost and more efficient delivery. It’s thrilling to see this kind of growth for a program that helps serve our community’s tiniest humans, but what I’m even more proud of is that we’re doing far more than just filling a gap – we’re eliminating barriers for parents who need access. Our process is simple: We collect diapers and wipes, deliver them to nonprofits with need, and they fill their shelves to support families in their care. There are no forms, no applications, no hoops to jump through for access. And that accessibility – particularly since diapers cannot be purchased using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) funds – can be truly lifechanging. Most daycares, for example, require that parents provide diapers, so for a family without access, that can mean no daycare, which means no work and no paycheck. Indeed, something as basic – and essential – as a diaper can change the life of an entire family. We’re proud to be part of the solution, and I’m grateful to all who make our work possible.
With gratitude,
In the Neighborhood
HomeAid, Richmond American Kick Off Planning Stages with ALIVE!
HomeAid National Capital Region and Builder Captain Richmond America is pleased to announce a renovation project now in early planning stages with ALIVE! House in Alexandria, Va., which provides up to 24 months of temporary housing and support for women and their families in emergency and transitional situations.
Together with trade partners, HomeAid and Richmond American will renovate a single-family home to accommodate three families. The first floor will be reconfigured to include a residential apartment as well as staff office space, a resident common area, a half bath for staff, and additional storage space under the stairwell. We also plan to renovate the second and third floors into two separate residential units.
Construction projects are the core of HomeAid’s mission and we are excited to begin this important work with ALIVE!, and we will be providing regular updates and photos as this project gets underway. Be sure to check in with our Projects page online, as well as this Building Hope newsletter, in the coming months!
In Your Community
Builders for Babies Launching in May
Our supporters keep showing us – through their time, actions, and generosity – that our mission is always worth fighting for because the people we serve matter. And on Mother’s Day (May 12), we’ll once again kick off Builders for Babies 2024, when we collect diapers and wipes for dozens of local nonprofits who serve families with young children. Since 2018, we’ve collected over 750,000 diapers and wipes for more than 30 local nonprofits, and we’ve set a goal of collecting 250,000 this year, with the drive continuing through Father’s Day (June 16).
Getting involved is as easy as always:
- Host a Donation Site. Sign up to collect donations of diapers and wipes at your office, church, business, etc.
- Purchase diapers and wipes online – with options ranging from a single box of diapers to an entire pallet!
- Download our Diaper Drive Toolkit
- Volunteer to help sort, count, and deliver diapers and wipes to our nonprofit partners. Please email Tammy Glasser for more information.
- Share Diaper Drive information on social media or print and share our flyer.
Did You Know? Contributing items like diapers and wipes are vitally important anytime, but diapers and wipes cannot be purchased using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) funds. And at an annual cost of approximately $1440 per baby, supporting this effort is a great way to give back and help our community.
Attention Nonprofits! If you would like to be included in our diapers and wipes distribution network, please contact Tammy Glasser!
Making It Count
FREE Tickets for Builders and Friends BBQ
Every year, we bring together the area’s top builders, trade partners, and other industry leaders to celebrate our collaborative work throughout the region, and if you volunteered as a Builder Captain or trade partner between June 2023 and June 2024, you are eligible for TWO FREE tickets to our most popular summer event – the Builders & Friends BBQ. If you qualify for free tickets, please contact Tammy Glasser for reservation details – and then mark your calendar for Thursday, June 20, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the National Botanic Garden in South Riding! We’ll welcome you with a fun mix of great food, craft beer, live music, cornhole games, raffle prizes, and networking as our way of thanking you for helping make our mission of rebuilding lives possible.
Registration is now open, and while our Pit Boss and Smokehouse Food sponsorships are SOLD OUT, our Grill King Beverage, BBQ Master, and BBQ Chef levels still remain, at a wide variety of price points and admissions tickets included. Find out more about our most popular summer event!
Thank you to our Pit Boss Presenting Sponsor, by Buhl Electric Co. Inc.
Support Spotlight
Helping Others Find a Better Life
Best Painting, founded in 2003, is a drywall and painting company – with 90 percent of its business focused on new construction, along with some remodeling projects with small builders. But a portion of that other 10 percent? Best Painting is often found working alongside countless other trade partners at HomeAid renovation projects, something they’ve been doing with us since 2013. We’re incredibly grateful for the many years of work and support by company owner Luis Vazquez and his team. Thank you!
Q: How did you find out about HomeAid, and what inspires you to keep saying ‘yes’ to our projects?
A: Originally, one of our builder partners, M/I Homes, was leading a HomeAid project and asked us to participate, which is how we first got involved. They were followed by Lennar and several other Builder Captains, and we’ve continued to donate our time and expertise because we want to give back some of the many blessings we’ve received through our work.
Q: What would you say to another trade partner considering getting involved with HomeAid?
A: The whole point of HomeAid – and life in general – is helping others. With HomeAid, we’re helping people in need to have a better life. It’s a great feeling to know you’re helping someone out there, and it’s also really easy to work with HomeAid. We’ve never had any issues – the staff does a great job of managing logistics and keeping everything on track – from the planning stages to the project completion it’s a great experience.
Q: What have you been most surprised to learn about homelessness since your work with HomeAid began?
A: In our normal day-to-day work with new homes, we’re seeing only the surface of the realities in our communities. But when we do projects with HomeAid, it really opens your eyes. A lot of people are struggling, and a lot of people are experiencing homelessness. Our work at a Fairfax shelter was shocking. Many of our neighbors need our help, and we’re glad to give it.
Announcements
NVBIA Future Leader’s Care Day on May 23
NVBIA’s Future Leaders are organizing a Care Day, a hands-on service day during which volunteers give back to local HomeAid nonprofit partners. The Care Day will be held on May 23 from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m., and NVBIA Future Leader members will be tasked with providing yardwork help at affordable housing sites owned by Cornerstones. Afterwards, volunteers will enjoy happy hour at Aslin Beer Company in Herndon. Find out more about the event and register to help so that they can assign you to a team and provide the location where you will meet on the day of the service project. Thank you!
Women’s Leadership Group
In March, the Van Metre Women’s Leadership Group hosted a panel discussion with some of the most influential women leaders in the building industry. The panel examined a wide range of topics and shared inspirational stories during the program, including leadership skills, challenges they’ve faced as women in the workforce, navigating power structures, and the best leadership advice they’ve ever received. The panel featured our chief executive officer Kristyn Burr, who was joined by Julie van der Vate, chief operating officer, finance and strategic growth, Van Metre Companies; Nancy Gilreath, executive vice president and associate general counsel, Van Metre Companies; Deborah Rosenstein, chief executive officer, NVBIA; Kim Adams, vice president of marketing, Brambleton Group; and Rasheedah Ahmed, CAS, senior vice president of InterSolutions and president of the Property Management Association.
Upcoming Events
Builders for Babies Diaper Drive
Collection Dates
May 12 to June 16, 2024
Builders & Friends BBQ
Thursday, June 20, 2024, 3:30-6:30 p.m.
National Botanic Garden, 26320 Ticonderoga Road
South Riding, VA, 20152
Third Party Events
Second Saturday Series: Boot Scootin’ Brunch
Saturday, April 13, 2024
12:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Ned Devine’s Irish Gastro Pub and Restaurant
2465 Centreville Rd, Herndon, VA 20171
Proceeds from the 50/50 raffle and door prize benefit HomeAid National Capital Region
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