February e-News

Volunteer Focus! These individuals are the life blood of the shelter!

Case in point Lakeisha Sparrow, she is a bright moment in everyone's day with her cheerful greeting, she makes a difference in all of our days!

Lakeisha, at the front desk, she's been a volunteer for the past 3 months

Lakeisha is a wonderfully sunny moment in our day,
even though it's hidden behind a mask you can still see the smile in her eyes. Working at the front desk gives her the  opportunity to greet all who enter and she offers to help where she can. 

A U.S. Air Force Veteran, she served 20 years as a Senior Human Resources Manager before retiring in 2016. "After retirement, She moved to NYC to pursue a Master's Degree in Urban Studies with a focus in Community Development - Affordable Housing." No small accomplishment there! She is a former Analyst with the Department of the Army and the Department of Homeland Security.

As a new resident of Alexandria, VA, she watched the construction of Carpenter's Shelter's new building, researched our mission and in November 2020, she completed the volunteer process.

"The staff has been welcoming, kind and always ready to answer any of my questions. The environment is positive and relaxed but still professional. The residents are treated with the utmost respect and in-turn are gracious. I applaud the Carpenter team for their dedication to helping individuals and families in crisis. My experience at Carpenter's Shelter has been truly inspiring and reaffirmed my commitment to helping people gain access to adequate and stable housing."

When she's not volunteering, Lakeisha enjoys spending time with family and friends, she practices yoga, hikes, and likes  traveling the world.

It's because of people like Lakeisha that the shelter is as well regarded as it is in the City. The volunteers that find themselves here are giving back and helping their neighbors through a tough time in their lives, there is no great calling that that! To all of you, we owe a great deal of gratitude and a simple thank you.

If you would like to join Team Carpenter's click here and get more information and or sign-up

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 ...And Counting!

                       and Matching Donations

Many donations we receive at Carpenter’s Shelter come from workplace giving campaigns. Workplace giving campaigns can be hosted in a variety of different ways, but most often they are annual programs that allow employees to make charitable contributions, either through a payroll deduction or employee donations that are pooled together and are managed through their organization. Offices can choose a single charity to focus on or they may select multiple charities to raise money for, often at the request of one of their employees who will choose their favorite charity or cause. 

According to Forbes, workplace giving programs are responsible for $5 billion in donations annually. Carpenter’s Shelter is thankful for it’s robust workplace giving partnerships, we receive contributions from IBM, Cotton & Company, Booz Allen Hamilton, and many other organizations. Many of these companies give contributions regularly and have worked with Carpenter’s Shelters for years. We also receive contributions from organizations that pool together donations because a sole employee who knew of Carpenter's started an entire campaign!!

Another reason to give (or voluneteer) through your company is because many employers will match donations, meaning your donation could go a lot further! Some will even double or triple your gift. Recently, the Walmart Foundation and the Lumina Foundation matched employee donations to Carpenter’s Shelter at triple the rate of their employee's donation.

To see if your office has a workplace giving campaign or matches employees gifts. Please check with your Human Resources department -- and if there is nothing currently in place then you might be able to start your very own campaign!

If you have made a matching gift and would like to ensure that it has been met, email Sienna Brown if you’d like to help in some way!

If you'd like to make a gift at any time visit: www.carpentersshelter.org/give

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We're Making Progress!

Quick Calendar

February 16th: Volunteer Orientation! Please join us for our monthly volunteer orientation. If you would like to attend, join our Community Relations Manager Jamila Smith between 6:00-7:00 pm on Zoom by clicking here.

February 14th: Valentine's Day! Show someone in the shelter some love and drop off some candy or hearts.

February 15th: Presidents Day!

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Carpenter's Shelter/Bloom recognized for its innovative supportive housing

It took the support of our community to make this vision a reality. Congrats to everyone involved for this prestigious award. 

Click here to read the story!

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Thinking about 
making a Donation?

Here are a few
items that we need!

If you would like to make a monetary donation please email Development Associate Sienna Brown.

Thanks so much for your continued support of the children, women, and men, we serve!

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Need Help?

Here are some important contact #'s