The Right to Re-charge
All of us in HomeFront hope our Spring participating volunteers have plans in the works to unwind and re-charge over the summer if you haven’t already. Whether it’s fishing, trading in that paint brush for a barbeque basting brush or putting aside that storm door installation manual in favor of a good summer read — you have earned it! This Spring, you joined 800 other goodhearted souls who carved out time from your busy lives to help 20 low-income, struggling families across Connecticut. And we could not be prouder. This brings us to the mark of 3,200 homes revitalized since we began. Many of you displayed heroic dedication while rolling up your sleeves through rain drops and monsoons, in some cases. It looked like a lot of fun, but we know it was a lot of hard work. While you enjoy more quality time with loved ones this summer, we hope you take a moment to savor the difference you helped us to make this Spring. We took the liberty of putting together a gallery of photos from all the “feel good” job sites this Spring. Here are some of the highlights of a memorable season of giving back and some ways to keep the positive momentum going. We could never thank you enough, but we thought that Barbara, a widow in her late 70s from Greater Waterbury, said it best.
“It’s like a miracle for me. I don’t have a fancy house but it’s my home and I really love it here. I don’t want to have to leave. It’s amazing. I can’t believe this. They’re so conscientious and they’re all so nice. I didn’t think there were this many nice people left in the world.”
— Barbara, Oakville, CT
The Company You Keep
- More Than 30 Years of Participation: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Fairfield, CT
- Happy 30th: St. Luke’s Parish, Darien, CT!
- Happy 25th: Southbury Faith in Action, CT!
- Happy 20th: St. Edmund Campion, East Hartford, CT!
- More Than 20 Years of Participation
- FactSet, Norwalk, CT
- Newtown Lions, CT
- St. Edward the Confessor, New Fairfield, CT
- St. Raymond of Peñafort Teams I, II & III, Enfield, CT
- Happy 15th: Dotdash Meredith, Stamford, CT
- More Than Five Years of Participation
- Our Lady Star of the Sea, Stamford, CT
- United Methodist Church of Clinton, CT, Teams I & II
- North American Martyrs Parish, East Hartford, CT
- Our Up & Comers Club: New Fairfield Congregational Church, CT
St. Luke’s Volunteers & Leaders: Happy 30th!
Spring Project Impact Spotlight
All of our groups tackle life-changing repairs for neighbors in need. Let’s say you had to have 11 old windows replaced, a broken-down kitchen overhauled, new light fixtures, porch repairs, new railings, fresh coats of paint and yard work. For materials and labor alone, $30,000 would be a conservative guess. When HomeFront linked up with its partners, we were able to accomplish all of these improvements for $5,000 in materials. It starts with relationships we have forged with window vendors who care about the work we are doing. Then, you mix in extraordinary volunteers from St. Raymond of Peñafort in Enfield who changed out the windows and installed a new kitchen.
St. Raymond’s volunteer leaders.
St. Raymond volunteers installing windows high & low.
Of course, the best part is that the person who did not have to spend $5,000 or $30,000 is Tracy, a single mom with multiple health issues. Here is Tracy after we were able to get a new dishwasher donated and installed.
Let’s Keep a Good Thing Going
Did you know that for every one project we do, there are seven more neighbors in need who desperately await our help? Today’s HomeFront fixes up homes year-round, and there are a few simple ways you can help us to keep others from waiting.
Know Someone Who May Need Help?
Give us a call at 800-887-4673 or check out our website: homefrontprogram.org.
All inquiries are handled confidentially.
“Feel Good” Volunteer Opportunities Year-Round
HomeFront offers something for every type of skill or interest, in every town and for as little or as much time as you wish around your schedule, year-round.
Right now, we are seeking skilled volunteers to help with our year-round Critical Pro Repair (CPR) service where we tackle targeted repairs for families in need. It can be one half of a day or a few hours. You can contact Lou Valenti for mor information: LValenti@homefrontprogram.org
One of the most rewarding ways to make a difference is to join our network of volunteer home visitors to help us evaluate the homes most in need. You can contact Sean O’Brien for more information on this role: Sobrien@homefrontprogram.org.
“Time Talent & Treasure Club”
We are so grateful for your group’s sponsorship donation, which covers 1/3 of a project. You have seen what we can accomplish with amazing volunteers, altruistic pros and materials that we get donated and discounted. And yet, this work has its costs. Just like the smallest gift of time can make a life-changing difference, the same is true with financial contributions. Thank you for considering a gift of any amount so that we can continue this community resource year-round at no cost to more of our struggling neighbors. You can click here to make a secure donation.
