Upcoming Events
Sunday, October 9, beginning at 11:30 am there will be a Tractor Parade through the town of Leonardtown to benefit Christmas in April * St. Mary's County. Mr. Walt Neal, who is the chairperson of this event, is looking for Christmas in April volunteers to help out with traffic control and other needs. If you can help out, please let us know. Our Christmas in April * St. Mary's phone number is (301) 863-2905 or email mary.chasen@christmasinaprilsmc.org
Wednesday, October 12, 2011, will be our 15th Annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser. The proceeds from this major fundraiser are used to purchase numerous building materials and supplies to repair the homes of low-income, elderly, and disabled homeowners in St. Mary's County. We are looking not only for golfers to participate, but also for sponsors. To join in our day of golf, please call us at (301) 863-2905 or email us at mary.chasen@christmasinaprilsmc.org More info will be available as we get closer to our golf date.
September 3rd and 4th - Christmas in April * St. Mary's will have a table display at the NAS Patuxent River Air Expo ‘11, Celebrating 100 Years of Naval Aviation. We'll be continuing to distribute our free 2012 Applications for Assistance, showcasing the work of our volunteers who helped us this year with home repairs, and answering any questions one might have.
April 28, 2012, our 22nd Annual National Rebuilding Day.
Thank you, everyone, for all your support of these past 21 years. Together, we are making a big difference in improving the lives of the low-income, elderly, and disabled homeowners in our county.
Outline of Christmas in April * St. Mary’s
Calendar of Events
Every year from April through October, we travel throughout our community distributing our free Applications for Assistance, asking for help from all our supporters and volunteers, to look out for their neighbors, and if they know someone who needs our help to give that neighbor an application with our address and to let their neighbors know of the deadline to apply.
From mid-October, November, thru mid-December, our House Selection Committee members (usually in teams of two people) visit every person that has applied for help with home repairs. We visit the homeowners, inspect the homes, and then in mid to late December the committee members meet to narrow down the choices to the homes that we think our volunteers will be able to repair, also taking in mind that we have to raise all the money that is needed to purchase the building material and supplies to provide those repairs. The House Selection Committee then makes their recommendations to the Advisory Board and/or Board of Directors who vote on the recommendations.
Starting January 1st, all our committees spring into full action. We solicit volunteers, including area coordinators, house captains, co-captains, and worker bee's. We choose the homes in late December that we will be repairing in April, so in January we now set to work to organize the necessary teams of volunteers (skilled, semi-skilled, and support) to achieve our goals. Fundraising efforts “kick-in” to high gear. Food committees are formed. By the beginning of April, when our deadline to volunteer arrives, we usually have between 1,400 to 1,500 volunteers registered to work on that last Saturday in April. We aim to solicit and place the appropriate number of volunteers on each site, focusing on our goals ranging from repairs and safety concerns, but continue to need individuals willing to step into leadership roles such as following committees: Materials, Publicity, Fundraising, and Skilled Trades.
Numerous youth participants help behind the scene. Since our insurance company tells us that NO ONE under the age of 14 can work on any of our construction sites, those children under that age are encouraged to participate in our program, but in different aspects. We have hundreds of school children that collect cleaning supplies for us, hold fundraisers (especially penny drives), donate baked goods, provide extra services to homeowners which include canned foods, flowers for planting (many of which the children have grown themselves), and some youth groups have even been some of our most successful “lunch providers”.
During the year, Christmas in April * St. Mary's Board of Directors and other supporters gather once a month (except in the summer) to determine what the needs are for that month, how we meet those needs, and move forward meeting our goals for another successful year. Our meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month (except in the summer). We borrow the meeting room at the Burch Oil Company, located on Rt. 235 in Hollywood . Our meetings usually last one hour, and our meetings are always open to the public.
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Events & Happenings
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| January 1-April 1. Start Publicity and Marketing to obtain: Skilled Trades, Volunteer Re-registration, Food and School Committees.
January (2nd week) Mail letters to last year's group participants soliciting their help for this year's Christmas in April program.
January (2nd week) Mail letters to last year's area coordinators, house captains, and skilled trades soliciting their participation for Year 2012.
January Materials Committee meets to begin preparations.
End of January. Logistics Committee Meeting, Prepare for 1st House Capt. Meeting held the 2nd Week in Feb.
2nd Week in Feb. 1st. House Captain/Area Coordinator Meeting for Year.
Last week in Feb. Evening meeting for Logistics Committee to prepare for second house captain meeting.
2nd Week in Mar. Second House Captain Meeting; House Captains turn in material and supply lists, requirements for skilled trades, volunteer requests, and special needs.
Mid March Homeowner/Family Orientation Night
April 1st Deadline for volunteer registration
Beginning of Apr. Final House Captain Meeting, receive volunteer lists, go over final preparations.
Last Friday in Apr. House Captains and/or Representatives pick up materials and supplies.
Last Sat. in Apr. Christmas in April National Rebuilding Day
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