May e-News
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Resident Awarded "Earn a Bike" Scholarship
Kengi Granados, 32, found himself at Carpenter's Shelter in late March after a potential living situation fell through. With nowhere to go, he turned to Carpenter's Shelter.
After settling in, Kengi applied for the Bicycle Scholarship Program at Velocity Bicycle Cooperative, a scholarship that provides individuals in need with access to free bicycles. As part of the "Earn a Bike Scholarship Program" selected participants are given a refurbished bicycle, lights, lock, helmet, multi use tool, and a three-hour course on bicycle maintenance.
Kegni was incredibly grateful to be selected as a recipient of this scholarship from Velocity. You can tell by the big smile on his face every time you see him on the bike or talking about the bike.
"I was so happy. You just don't know what a blessing it is to be able to get a bike," Kengi states.
"I can use the bike for exercise, it's a form of stress relief for me," he continued. And this now provides him with the ability to move freely, something which is especially important as Kengi started a new landscaping job days after being awarded his bike! His job is a 15 minute bike ride away, which would take over 45 minutes to walk. His new bike allows him to move freely without cost and regain his independence with dignity.
Kegni expressed his excitement about the future, "Carpenter's Shelter is a place where they welcome you with open arms and help you take that next step toward successful housing."
We would like to give a special shout out to Marty DeVine, our "bike angel" and the Velocity team for giving bicycles to our residents.
To learn more about the bicycle program, and other community programs, offered through Velocity Bicycle Cooperative click here.
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Our Brand New Building is Winning!
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| Carpenter's Shelter's new building. |
The Washington Business Journal has chosen our new building as the Best Redevelopment in 2020, honoring Carpenter's Shelter and The Bloom at Braddock. As quoted in the announcement article, "Our lineage is a church basement, two warehouses, a retrofitted DMV and a defunct shopping mall, so this feels like a dream come true," says Shannon Steene, "It was a bit of serendipity and a little bit of Carpenter's magic, but we pulled it off and we're grateful to the Alexandria Housing Development Corporation for walking this path with us." Located at 930 North Henry Street, the new gateway to Old Town Alexandria, Carpenter's Shelter now has a purpose built 60-bed emergency residential shelter on the first floor and The Bloom offers 97 affordable apartments on the six floors above. We are so humbled by being selected for our collaborative project.
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Carpenter's Shelter Honored to be the Featured Nonprofit in The Scout Guide Alexandria
We are honored to appear in The Scout Guide Alexandria as the featured nonprofit! The Scout Guide is a women-owned city guide dedicated to supporting local businesses in various cities across the United States. Volume 6 of The Scout Guide Alexandria features local artisans, businesses, owners, and creators from the Alexandria area. Each year, The Scout Guide selects a local nonprofit and features a 2-page spread about their work. Thank you Sarah Phillips for choosing us, we are thrilled to be selected this year and are so grateful for the opportunity to spread the word about Carpenter's Shelter.
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...And Counting!
Thank You for a Successful Spring2ACTion!!
Thank you to everyone who made the 11th Annual Spring2ACTion a huge success! We aimed to raise $65,000, and the community came together and we raised over $75,000 for Carpenter's Shelter! Thank you! You have shown the power of a community coming together for a greater cause, every single donation counted toward something bigger: creating an Alexandria where families and individuals don't fear housing instability. Your contribution for Spring2ACTion will allow us to continue providing shelter, food, medical care, and counseling to Alexandria's most vulnerable population, homeless children, women, and men. We greatly appreciate your immeasurable support of the work we do at Carpenter's Shelter, our continued success would not be possible without our community supporting us. If you missed Spring2ACTion and are interested in giving to Carpenter's Shelter, please contact Sienna Brown, Development Associate, via email or at (703) 548-7500 (ext. 204) to make a donation today. Or click here to make a donation through our website. |
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| May 2021 |
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Quick Calendar:
May 5th: Cinco de Mayo
May 9th: Mother's Day
May 16th: Armed Forces Day
May 18th: 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 pm - 7:00 pm on Zoom by clicking here.
May 31st: Memorial Day
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More New Furniture Arrived!
Thank you to Imagine Design, who came by to add more furniture to our Children's Lounge and Playroom. Now, they are expanding their efforts to provide furnishings and decor for families of Carpenter's Shelter in the Alexandria community as well! To learn more about their amazing work go here.
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An Easter Celebration at Carpenter's.
Thank you to Carpenter's Shelter's Circle of Hope and the Fairlington United Methodist Church for preparing and providing amazing Easter baskets for our children in the shelter. They were greatly appreciated!
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Thank You to Arti's Artsy Accessories and the NCNW.
Thank you to Artri's Artsy Accessories and The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) for dropping off a wonderful arrangement of gifts (jewelry, chocolates, and plants) so our residents can celebrate Mother's Day this weekend.
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We're Hiring!
We are currently hiring a Communications & Development Associate. The position includes grant writing, experience with digital media, and assistance with cultivation events. If you, or someone you know, would be a good fit for this role, pass the job opportunity along. To learn more about the role click here.
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Welcome to Our New Staff Member!
Join us in welcoming our new Case Manager, Marsha Johnson-Colquhoun. Marsha is a small business owner and has worked as a case manager for over seven years. She is orginally from New York City, but currently lives in Prince William County with her busband Andre, and their three sons, Kamari, Kaden, and Kason. In her free time she enjoys hiking, playing basketball, and traveling back home to Jamaica.
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Here are a few
items that we need.
We are always in need of items to help our clients time here in shelter and in their new homes. Due to the pandemic, items like condiments and medicine need to be individual packets. Here are a few of those items:
- High protein snacks
- Powdered milk
- Medium/Large white t-shirts
- Mayonnaise
- Cortizone
- Neosporin
- Large bandaids
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