Celebrating 20 Years (1990-2010)

It is hard to believe, but with all of us working together, we have repaired over 564 homes and 13 community nonprofit centers. We are ready to celebrate our 20th Year of repairing homes of low-income, elderly, and disabled homeowners and helping with repairs on a community nonprofit center (Hospice). Although our 20th Annual National Rebuilding Day does not occur until Saturday, April 24, 2010, we are already busy.

We hope you will join us this year in offering your support.

On Saturday, April 24, 2010, we will be repairing 21 homes and 1 community nonprofit center. Please refer to our Events Section and our Contact Us Section on how to volunteer for this year's activities.

Over the past several months (October, November, and December), the members of our House Selection Committee visited almost 90 homes and 1 community nonprofit center. While we were visiting the homeowners and inspecting the homes, we distributed (and installed), smoke alarms, changed batteries in smoke alarms, and distributed several CO monitors.

Thanks to the Burch Oil Company for partnering with Christmas in April * St. Mary's County, and discounting materials for us - an elderly homeowner in Clements received a new furnace.

Thanks to the Southern Maryland Oil Company for working with us, and discounting the price of an oil furnace for us - an Oakville homeowner is warmer in her home. The SMO Company also donated a new oil tank and installed it.

Thank you also to Coalition Solutions Integrated, Inc., Gabriel Ministries, and CSC for adopting families at Christmastime so children would not be without presents. Thanks also to Mattingly Electric for helping a Lexington Park family.

We are now trying to do emergency repairs for a single mother with three children in Park Hall who needs major plumbing repairs and heating repairs. Visits and preparations have already started with willing partners, such as Steve Arnold (A&K Plumbing) and Winters Heating and Cooling. This Park Hall home was not chosen for our National Rebuilding Day because of the wide extent of the repairs that need to be done. We will begin these emergency repairs shortly. We will need to do fundraising now for materials and supplies, but we want to get this family needed heat and plumbing so our Board of Directors has made the decision to help this family in need with emergency repairs.

We have set many goals for our 20th Year of Home Repairs because we have seen the need for home repairs. However, difficult decisions needed to be made. So many homeowners applied for help, yet we chose the same number of projects to be done as last year hoping that we will be receiving the same support that we received from our financial sponsors and co-sponsors from last year (2009). Also, not knowing from year to year how many skilled trade volunteers we will be having join us, has us hesitating to do additional homes so we do not over-extend ourselves.

Last year, we replaced a record-breaking number of roofs for St. Mary's County homeowners. This year, our House Selection Committee members recommended 21 homes and 1 community nonprofit center to our Board of Directors who unanimously accepted their recommendations. One of the main focuses on this year's homes is weatherization, whether it be in replacing or repairing windows and doors, roofs, caulking, or installing insulation or thermostats. We also have a need to build wheelchair ramps.

We need your help. Between now and the beginning of February, we will be soliciting our team leaders (house captains, area coordinators, points of contact, and committee members). Between now and April 1st, we will be signing up skilled trades and other volunteers.

Since many of the homes chosen are small (many of them are mobile homes), we do not need large numbers of volunteers, but we do still need volunteers. If you would like to help, please remember on-site volunteers must be at least 14 years old or above to work on one of our sites. There is no age limitation in donating and preparing food, donating landscaping materials, helping behind the scenes on one of our committees, or assisting with fundraising.

Although the homes we will be repairing this year are small, there are additional challenges because many of the homeowners are low-income, low-income elderly, and low-income disabled - they need our help. We have homeowners who are veterans - one of whom, a husband and father, served two tours in Iraq, homeowners who are disabled or dealing with a catastrophic illness, homeowners who are single parents who are working, raising children, but are in need due to being low-income. We are a community that has shown over the past 19 years how by coming together, we can make a difference. Our community nonprofit center that we are assisting this year is Hospice. These past 19 years have been wonderful, as collectively, we have repaired over 564 homes and 13 community projects.

Join us as we celebrate our 20th year of making a big difference in the lives of the low-income, elderly, and disabled homeowners in our community.

We are preparing letters to be mailed to all our financial sponsors, financial co-sponsors, and everyone who so generously donated to our program last year. We hope you will be able to join us this year in helping to purchase many of the materials and supplies our volunteers will need to do the repairs in 2010.

Finally, we are preparing for another fundraiser, our 10th Annual Beer & Wine Tasting, which will occur on Saturday, March 6, 2010, at the J T Daugherty Center in Lexington Park .

We are very grateful to the sponsors who assisted us with this past November's Beer & Wine Tasting. Even with our community suffering through a horrendous storm that night, our sponsors didn't waiver, as a much smaller group of attendees came out in the bad weather to support our good cause. We thank our sponsors of the 9th Annual Beer & Wine Tasting Fundraiser: the J T Daugherty Center, Cherry Cove, Metro Restaurant & Janitorial Supplies, Guy Distributing, Bozick Distributing, the Southern Maryland Wine Society, Guenther Beer & Spirits Store, Carolyn Huff (Longabarger baskets), the band “Pond Scum,” and all our supporters for their help.

Remember, Saturday, March 6, 2010, from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm will be our next Beer & Wine Tasting. More details will follow.

 

19th Annual National Rebuilding Day Accomplishments

Remembering a Year of Numerous Roof Replacements and 90 Degree Temperatures

With the help of 1,600 on-site volunteers and another 150 off-site volunteers, on Saturday, April 25, 2009, Christmas in April * St. Mary's County repaired another 22 homes. Thank you to everyone for all your help.

Over the past 19 years, Christmas in April * St. Mary's County volunteers have:

• repaired over 564 homes and 13 community nonprofit facilities
• totaled 31,700 people sharing their time and talents
• made home repairs worth more than $4.15 million to improve the living conditions of low-income, elderly, and disabled homeowners in our community

Among the Year 2009 accomplishments for homeowner recipients and their immediate family members, we repaired 22 homes on our National Rebuilding Day of April 25, 2009; and repaired 2 other roofs (December 2008 and January 2009). On our National Rebuilding Day, we helped 40 low-income recipients, of which 16 were elderly, 15 were disabled; and low-income families with 7 children and grandchildren were assisted with home repairs.

• 10 of the homeowners/families assisted this past year had annual incomes of less than $12,000
• 8 of the homeowners/families assisted this past year had annual incomes between $12,001-$18,000
• 4 of the homeowners assisted this past year had annual incomes of $18,001-$23,000

Christmas in April * St. Mary's County had an increase of 21% with our Applications for Assistance. When the members of our House Selection Committee visited the homeowners who applied for assistance, they identified three major problems: (1) accessibility issues; (2) old, deteriorating roofs; and (3) safety concerns. In visiting the non-profit facilities that had applied, we observed their needs, but felt with the overwhelming number of low-income, elderly, and disabled homeowners applying for help, and the vast majority of the homeowners' needs were major needs–which included roof replacements or repairs, the House Selection Committee members recommended to the Board of Directors that resources be focused on homes this year.

Among the repairs accomplished during the past year were:

• replacing over 13 roofs and repairing another 4 roofs
• repairing an additional 2 roofs prior to our National Rebuilding Day
• repairing or building 9 wheelchair ramps and improving 3 walkways
• repairing and/or replacing windows and doors
• electrical repairs and/or upgrades on 8 homes; plumbing repairs on 6 homes
• installing hand railings and grab bars on 10 homes
• installing a chair lift in one home
• heating repairs at 2 homes; whereby one furnace was replaced, and the other heating system was repaired
• carpentry and siding work, repairing interior and exterior walls, and rebuilding floors
• replacing door knobs and faucets (especially for those homeowners who suffer from arthritis and other medical difficulties)

Focusing on safety, our volunteers also

• rebuilt entranceways for safer access to and from the homes
• upgraded electrical fixtures for improved lighting inside homes and repaired dangerous electrical outlets
• installed or replaced faulty or missing smoke alarms and installed fire extinguishers in each home
• installed carbon monoxide detectors, where needed

Click here to download the 2009 Christmas in April * St. Mary's Newsletter.

Click here to download the 2009 Christmas in April * St. Mary's Annual Report.

 

18th Annual National Rebuilding Day Accomplishments

With the help of 1,800 volunteers, on Saturday, April 26, 2008, Christmas in April * St. Mary's County repaired another 23 homes and 1 community project. Thank you everyone.

Together, over the past year, we:

• Repaired or replaced over 14 roofs
  
  
• Repaired or built 7 wheelchair ramps and improved 6 walkways
  
  
• Repaired and/or Replaced over 40 windows and doors
  
  
• Did electrical repairs and/or electrical upgrades on 8 homes
  
  
• Plumbing repairs on 12 homes
  
  
• Installed hand railings and grab bars on 10 homes
  
  
• Did heating repairs at 3 homes; whereby Christmas in April * St. Mary's purchased two new heating systems, and volunteers installed the new heating systems
  
  
• Accomplished numerous carpentry and siding work, repairing interior and exterior walls, and rebuilding floors
  
  
• Replaced door knobs and faucets (especially for those homeowners who suffer from arthritis and other medical difficulties)

 

Focusing on safety, our volunteers also

• Rebuild entranceways for safer access to and from the homes
  
  
• Upgraded electrical fixtures for improved lighting inside homes and repaired dangerous electrical outlets
  
  
• Installed or replaced faulty or missing smoke alarms and installed fire extinguishers in each home, and
  
  
• Installed carbon monoxide detectors, where needed.

 

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 nineteen years, the Christmas in April * St. Mary's County, Maryland, Inc., volunteers have repaired over 564 homes; 13 community nonprofit facilities have received help with repairs; 31,700 people have shared their time and talents; and have made home repairs worth more than $4.15 million to improve the living conditions of low-income, elderly, and disabled hoeowners in our community.

Volunteer registration officially begins on January 1, 2010, 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, 2010, 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 2009 Christmas in April * St. Mary's Newsletter. Click here to download the 2009 Christmas in April * St. Mary's Annual Report.

(Click on the icon to download Adobe Acrobat Reader FREE)

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.

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 25, 2009 (our National Rebuilding Day).

In preparation for April 24, 2010, we are distributing copies of our 2010 Application for Assistance from now until mid-October 2009. The members of our House Selection Committee will then begin their work in mid-October through December visiting everyone in St. Mary's County, MD, who applies for assistance from Christmas in April * St. Mary's.

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 .

 

WE GIVE SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR 2009 MAJOR SPONSORS

+In-kind donations

County Builders (Donated $5,000 or more)

The Love of Christ Foundation

Kitty Parlett and the Parlett Family

Sears Holdings

St. Mary's College of Maryland

United Way of St. Mary's

+Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship (Paul Hall Center) *

 

Community Builders (Donated $2,500-$4,999)

Bank of America

The Boeing Company

Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.

Burch Oil Co. & Employees

Century 21/New Millennium

+Cherry Cove

+CMI General Contractors, Inc.

Constellation Energy

CSC Range & Engineering Services

Eagan-McAllister Employees Community Service

FannieMae

First Saints Community Church

Lexington Park Rotary Club

Lockheed Martin Systems Integration (Owego)

+Maryland State Highway Administration

Mt. Zion United Methodist Church

NICCjv

Northrop Grumman

PNC Bank (Baltimore Community Foundation)

St. Mary's Hospital Employees & Med. Staff

+Untied Site Services

+Waste Management

Wyle

 

Community Builders (Donated $2,000-$2,400)

+Mechanicsville Lions Club

Christmas in April * Prince George's (Cap Mona)

St. Mary's Co. Public Schools (Service Learning Grant)

Neighborhood Builders (Donated $1,000-$1,999)

+A&B Trucking & Repairs

+Steve Arnold (A&K Plumbing)

Aviation Systems Engineering Co., Inc. (ASEC, Inc.)

+ Bay Forest Tree Removal (Jimmy Cullison)

+Patrick Boecher

+Bozick Distributors, Inc.

+Robert T. Brown (Shop Cove)

+Buck Distributing

+Chaney Enterprises

Charlotte Hall Rotary Club

+Billy Downs (Billy Downs Plumbing)

+ Dyson Building Center

+Steve Dyson Hauling

+Great Mills Trading Post

+Bob Green Siding Co., Inc.

+Guy Distributing

+Hayden Electric

+Congressman Steny H. Hoyer

Knights of Columbus #9968/Immaculate Heart of Mary Church

Leonardtown High School National Honor Society

Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary

Lexington Park United Methodist Men

Maryland Bank & Trust Co.

+Wm. C. Mattingly Electrical Services, Inc.

+Metro Restaurant & Janitorial Supplies

Optimists of Mechanicsville

+Denny Patton (Patton Plumbing)

+AJ Quade (AJ Quade Electrical Contracting, LLC)

Seventh District Optimists

Southern Maryland Electric Co-Op (SMECO)

+St. Mary's Co. Board of Education

+St. Mary's Co. Commissioners

+St. Mary's Co. Fair Board

+St. Mary's Co. Public Works

+St. Mary's Watermen's Assn.

+Sunshine Catering

+Tice Electric

+Tri-County Rent-a-Tent

Delegate John Wood, Jr.

Media Sponsors
The BayNet; B&B Publishing (Brandy Blackstone); The County Times; The Enterprise; The Tester; Public Affairs Office; WMDM/WPTX Southern Maryland Radio; and The Washington Post Southern Maryland Edition



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, and Bobby Cooper (St. Mary's Co. Public Works Dept.); Barry King (Calvert Co. Public Works); Steve Dyson Hauling; 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.

Golf Tournament Fundraiser
Unfortunately, due to our downturn in the economy, we were not able to have a 14 th Annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser. As one of our major yearly fundraisers, this event was greatly missed. Here's hoping everyone's business opportunities improve. We missed you all and all the wonderful support you have given Christmas in April over the past 13 years. You have helped us purchase numerous materials and supplies to repair the homes of low-income elderly and disabled homeowners of our community. We hope that the economy improves, and we can welcome back all the golfers and sponsors next year.


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, 2007 and 2008. 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 19 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

Thank you to everyone who contributed to make our 19th 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 5th, 2009. 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.


2010 Christmas in April * St. Mary’s Board of Directors
(as of January 13, 2010)

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