Preparing for our 18th Annual National Rebuilding Day – Saturday, April 26, 2008
We are preparing to repair another 23 homes and 1 community project on Saturday, April 26, 2008. However, we need your help. Individuals (who are 14 years old and above) who want to join one of our on-site teams of volunteers, please contact us by April 2, 2008 to register as a volunteer. To register, we need your name, mailing address, phone number, and what you want to do. You can also choose to share your email address with us.
We welcome back previous year's volunteers and welcome new volunteer support. We are looking for volunteers who can help especially with:
- roofing
- carpentry
- plumbing
- electrical
- photography
- laying carpets
- painting, yardwork, and cleaning.
Our Other Needs
In addition to the on-site hands-on volunteer workers who can wield a hammer or a paint brush, we also need help with:
- food and beverage donations for feeding our crews lunch
- food and beverage donations for our volunteer picnic
- donations of bottled water and sodas
Supply Needs
We would welcome any in-kind donations of:
- name badges
- xerox paper
- disposable cameras
- tablets of paper
- pens
- a 4-drawer file cabinet (used or new)
Financial Needs
Christmas in April * St. Mary's County (an affiliate of Rebuilding Together) is grateful for every financial contribution (from $1 on up). For our major financial donors, we have three levels:
“Neighborhood Builder” – an individual, group, or company that donates at least $1,000 to become a co-sponsor of a home. They will receive recognition of this donation by having their name on a board outside the home they are helping to co-sponsor; their name on a large board at the volunteer picnic; their name listed in our thank you ad in The Enterprise newspaper; their name listed as a Neighborhood Builder in our yearly newsletter; and will be receiving a plaque stating their status as a Neighborhood Builder. In those cases, where the individual or group is a repeat Neighborhood Builder, they will be given a plaque insert to be added to the plaque they have already been awarded.
“Community Builder” - an individual, group, or company that donates at least $2,000 to become a sponsor of a home. They will receive recognition of this donation by having their name on a board outside the home they are helping to sponsor; their name on a large board at the volunteer picnic; their name listed in our thank you ad in The Enterprise newspaper; their name listed as a Community Builder in our yearly newsletter; and will be receiving a plaque stating their status as a Community Builder. In those cases, where the individual or group is a repeat Community Builder, they will be given a plaque insert to be added to the plaque they have already been awarded.
“County Builder” - an individual, group, or company that donates at least $2,500 to become a sponsor of a home. They will receive recognition of this donation by having their name on the back of the volunteer tee shirts; their name on a board outside the home they are helping to sponsor; their name on a large board at the volunteer picnic; their name listed in our thank you ad in The Enterprise newspaper; their name listed as a County Builder in our yearly newsletter; and will be receiving a plaque stating their status as a County Builder. In those cases, where the individual or group is a repeat County Builder, they will be given a plaque insert to be added to the plaque they have already been awarded.
All prospective County Builders need to let Christmas in April * St. Mary's County know of their upcoming donation prior to February 28 in time to get on the volunteer tee shirts.
Material Needs
Donations of new building materials are always welcome. Give us a call with your suggestions. We always need paint brushes, buckets, safety masks and gloves, not to mention trash bags, fire extinguishers (to leave with each home owner so that they may be more safe in their homes) and smoke alarms.
To volunteer, contact us at (301) 863-2905 or email mary.chasen@christmasinaprilsmc.org.
ABOUT CHRISTMAS IN APRIL
Christmas in April * St. Mary's County, Maryland, Inc. is a local chapter of Rebuilding Together, a national volunteer organization that, in partnership with the community rehabilitates the homes of low-income homeowners, particularly the elderly and disabled, so that they may live in warmth, safety, and independence. We also provide help through work on community projects in St. Mary's County.
In the past seventeen years, the Christmas in April * St. Mary's County, Maryland, Inc., volunteers have repaired over 519 homes; 12 community nonprofit facilities have received help with repairs; 28,300 people have shared their time and talents; and over $3.7 million in repairs have been completed.
Volunteer registration officially begins on January 1, 2008, however, we are always looking for volunteers to serve on our committees and help with various aspects of our program. Volunteer sign-up is on-going, but we ask prospective volunteers to contact us prior to April 2, 2008, since it takes a lot of logistical planning to prepare for each one of our National Rebuilding Days.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2007
On Saturday, April 29, 2007, approximately 1,800 volunteers worked at 22 homes sharing their time and talents to help improve the quality of life for our fellow neighbors. In addition, there were hundreds of individuals who contributed “behind the scenes” with financial donations, contributions of refreshments, with logistical needs, and assistance with skilled trades, materials, and supplies.
Read a Summary of Christmas in April * St. Mary’s work for the Year 2007. Click here to download the 2007 Christmas in April * St. Mary's Newsletter.
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BACKGROUND
Over the past 17 years, Christmas in April * St. Mary's County volunteers
STARTING POINT
When the members of our House Selection Committee visited the homeowners this past year who had applied for assistance, they identified three major problems: (1) accessibility issues--requests for wheelchair ramps; (2) old, deteriorating, and steep roofs; and (3) safety concerns--the need for hand railings, smoke alarms (both regular alarms and alarms for the hearing-impaired), CO monitors, and fire extinguishers. The House Selection Committee's report was our starting point in preparing for April 26, 2008 (our National Rebuilding Day).
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR...
Monthly planning meetings are held the third Wednesday of each month (except August), at the Burch Oil Co. meeting room, located on Rt. 235 in Hollywood (near Hyperspace). Since we try to reach out to as many people as possible, our meeting schedule fluctuates: one month, we meet at 8:30 am; the following month’s meeting will be at 7 pm. You can request to be placed on our monthly postcard mailing or monthly email mailing to be kept up-to-date on our schedule of events.
Volunteers are needed throughout the year. You don’t need to be a carpenter or plumber to help with planning activities, offering office support (filing and typing), fundraising activities, or helping to distribute homeowner applications. Come and join us. Your help is welcome. Of course, if you are a plumber or carpenter, sometimes we need your help during the year too-for emergency repairs.
WE GIVE SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR 2007 MAJOR SPONSORS
County Builders
ADF Bingo; Bank of America; The Boeing Company; Booz-Allen Hamilton, Inc.; Burch Oil Co. & Employees; Century 21/New Millennium; Chopticon High School; CMI General Contractors, Inc.; Constellation Energy; CSC Range & Engineering Services; Eagan-McAllister Employees Community Service; FannieMae; Great Mills High School National Junior ROTC Program; Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship ( Paul Hall Center); Honeywell; Leonardtown High School; Lexington Park Rotary Club; Lockheed Martin & Lockheed Martin Systems Integration (OWEGO); Maryland State Highway Administration; MetroCast Communications (Harron Communications, LP); The MIL Corporation; Mt. Zion United Methodist Church; Northrop Grumman PRB (So. MD PRB Community Assistance Fund, Inc.); Kitty Parlett and the Parlett Family; Leonard Allen Potts and Friends; St. Mary's College of Maryland; St. Mary's Hospital Employees & Medical Staff; United Site Services; United Way of St. Mary's; Winters Heating & Cooling; and Wyle Laboratories.
Community Builders
Great Mills High School ; Lexington Park United Methodist Men; Mechanicsville Lions Club; NAS Propulsion & Power Engineering; Resource Management Concepts, Inc. (RMC); and St. Mary's County Public Schools (Service Learning Grant).
Neighborhood Builders
A&B Trucking & Repairs; American Truck Historical Society Baltimore Washington Chapter; Arby's (K B K, Inc.); Aviation Systems Engineering Co., Inc. (ASEC, Inc.); Harold Berg & Son; Bozick Distributors, Inc.; Robert T. Brown; Buck Distributing; Carroll's Equipment; Chaney Enterprises; Christmas in April * Prince George County (Cap Mona); Dean Lumber & Supply; Dyson Building Center; Steve Dyson Hauling; Eastern GRC; Great Mills Trading Post; Griffin Flooring America; Guy Distributing; Hayden Electric; Jay and Larry Hill; Congressman Steny H. Hoyer; Knights of Columbus #9968/Immaculate Heart of Mary Church; Leonardtown Elementary School; Maryland Bank & Trust Co.; Wm. C. Mattingly Electrical Services, Inc.; Metro Restaurant & Janitorial Supplies; Olde Breton Inn; Optimists of Mechanicsville; Park Hall Elementary School; Denny Patton (Patton Plumbing); PEPSI; Seventh District Optimists; Southern Maryland Electric (SMECO); St. Mary's County Board of Education; St. Mary's County Commissioners; St. Mary's County Fair Board; St. Mary's County Public Works; St. Mary's Watermen's Association; Sunshine Catering; Those. Somerville Co.; Tri-County Aire, Inc.; Tri-County Rent-a-Tent; and Delegate John Wood, Jr.
Media Sponsors
The BayNet; Channel 10; The Enterprise Newspaper; The Tester, Public Affairs Office; The Washington Post Southern Maryland Edition; and WMDM/WPTX Radio.
Logistical Support
In addition to the volunteers that worked on the
22
different sites for Christmas in April's National Rebuilding Day this year, and the 2 homes we helped repair during the year, were the people providing logistical support for each one of the sites. Work begins several weeks earlier when volunteers from SMECO visit each home and install safety covers on the overhead electrical wires where needed. SMECO volunteers also help on our National Rebuilding Day when the electricity needs to be turned off for safety and repairs and then turned back on after the work is done. Then United Site Services comes and places porto-potties at each one of the sites. Chaney Enterprises follows up with the delivery of the gravel needed at sites. We salute the following individuals, groups and companies for their assistance in providing this logistical support: A&B Trucking (Bonnie Sternack); Harold Berg (Berg & Son); George Erichsen , Richard Tarr, Bobby Cooper, John Raley, Joseph Brooks, Mike Herbert, and Wil Mattingly (St. Mary's Co. Public Works Dept.); Barry King (Calvert Co. Public Works); Steve Dyson Hauling; Eastern GRC; NAS Public Works; Jay and Larry Hill; Waste Management of Southern MD; Ray Carter and the other members of the Maryland State Highway Administration; Howard Thompson; Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship, Paul Hall Center; and Bubby Knott, Great Mills Trading Post. Thank you also to the volunteers who helped at the warehouse: Echo Brannan, Jerry and Kathy Slagle, Dale Tarleton, Fred and Shirley Morton, Howard Thompson, Harold Younger, Spencer Scriber, Philip Scriber, and Zora Ziemasko, and to the other volunteers who helped during the prior week's preparations: Anne Marum, Ann Hawes, Tammy Pilkerton, Vince Williams, and Dave Ryan.
12th Annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser
We are grateful to CMI General Contractors, Inc., for sponsoring the annual Spring Golf Tournament. This was the 12th Annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser for Christmas in April * St. Mary's County, and once again it was sponsored by the CMI General Contractors, Inc., of Charlotte Hall, MD. We are very grateful to Wayne Lockman, and the members of the golf tournament committee: Betsy Parlett, Joann Baierlein, Loretta McGrath, Charlie Russell , John Guy, Pete Traggorth, Steve Hancock, Teeni Spell, Mike Smith, Larry Greenwell, and John K. Parlett, Jr. The “CMI GC team” netted over $15,000 for Christmas in April * St. Mary's County.
Salute to Former Homeowner Recipient
In April 2004, Loretta Rule received home repair assistance from Christmas in April * St. Mary’s. Mrs. Rule then volunteered her time, and over the next several months, hand-made crafts that she donated to Christmas in April for sale at the Southern MD Farm-Life Festival held in the Fall of 2005, 2006 and 2007. What a wonderful way to say thank you, and we truly appreciate Loretta Rule’s generosity!
Extra Thank You’s!
Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship (Paul Hall Center) for giving our House Selection Committee members a place to meet, for sponsoring our February house captain/area coordinator/skilled trade “kick-off” dinner meeting, for providing logistical support at the Farm-Life Festival, feeding volunteer crews lunch, providing trash pick-up services, and filling in where support was needed.
Parlett Family for sponsoring the Southern Maryland Farm-Life Festival
Darene Kleinsorgen for co-chairing the So. MD Farm-Life Festival
Burch Oil Co. for continuing these past 18 years in giving Christmas in April a home, where we could hold our monthly meetings
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church for loaning us your hall for our house captain and homeowner meetings;
Brandy Blackstone of B&B Publishing for updating our web site
Norma Clarke for all the help in designing/layout of the tee shirts
Kathy Slagle for chairing the “cookbook” event
The BayNet; Channel 10; The Enterprise ; The Tester, Public Affairs Office, The Washington Post, So. MD Edition; WMDM/WPTX Southern MD Radio
Thank you to everyone who contributed to make our 17th Annual Rebuilding Day a success.
Christmas in April * St. Mary's County would like to thank the Harry Lundberg School of Seamanship, Paul Hall Center for generously sponsoring our Appreciation Dinner held on February 7th, 2008. It was a wonderful evening, and a great opportunity to again express our thanks to the House Captains, Area Coordinators, Skilled Trades, Board of Directors and leaders on our Christmas in April *St. Mary's County Committees who volunteered their time and skills for the 2007 Christmas in April * St. Mary's County National Rebuilding Day.
Dedications
Leonard “Al” Potts, a strong Christmas in April supporters, passed away in April 2007, and we had to say goodbye to a long-time friend. Many people in our community knew how Al's family; including his son, Father Ron Potts, and Al's wife, Helen Marie, were instrumental in introducing our program to the community. In addition to all his community work, Al had a full career as a Maryland State Trooper and then a second career as a bailiff serving in our county's courthouse.
We knew Al for his outgoing personality, his willingness to help his fellow neighbor, and his love of both his church, his family, and his community. Al volunteers for over 14 years, serving as a co-captain or house captain on 12 homes; visiting homeowners and inspecting homes as a member of the House Selection Committee for over 12 years; and volunteering on the Farm-Life Festival Committee for 9 years. Even when ill, Al did not stay home, but instead came out to lend a hand, and usually bringing along a granddaughter who also helped.
Al was always thinking of someone else and never of himself. He brought in skilled trades to assist with some of our most difficult home repairs, and was a great promoter of Christmas in April. We were very grateful, yet not surprised when we read Al's obituary, where his friends and family were invited to make a donation to Christmas in April. Because of everyone's love of Al and Helen Marie Potts, our program will be able to repair an additional home next year in his name. Al's legacy of giving to one's neighbor lives on.
2007-2008 Christmas in April * St. Mary’s Board of Directors
(as of September 10, 2007)
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