YACHAD'S BLOG: GIMME SHELTER

Last Sunday, while some of us were volunteering at Israel@65, a group of 12 volunteers from Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation went to the Weaver’s home in Michigan Park. Robin Renner, Yachad’s construction manager, led the group, along with Audrey Lyon, our executive director.

Volunteers were all over the house, working with the Weaver family to remove carpeting, move furniture and paint. A lucky grand-daughter now has a bright pink room, though several left the project with rainbow colored hair.

A huge thanks to everyone who worked and supported this project. Mrs. Weaver called us today to say how very grateful she is for all the work we have done. It has been a pleasure working with this family and we hope all of our volunteers enjoyed giving back to their community.

… we just volunteered at the YJPN Jewnity Beer and Wine Garden, a part of this past Sunday’s Israel@65 event. The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington transformed Union Market into an Israeli food, wine, and music festival to celebrate Israel’s 65th birthday. The event was a huge hit – with about 10,000 attendees of all ages and backgrounds.

This past Sunday, we held the third Homeowners Education Workshop of the
semester. The topic was Keeping a Safe, Healthy and Functioning Home. 15
homeowners attended.

Robin Renner, one of Yachad’s Construction Managers gave an interactive
lecture about DIY homeownership. She covered a slew of topics ranging from
preventive home repair, how to hire a trustworthy contractor, to hands-on
repairs. The homeowners particularly enjoyed learning how to repair
drywall and how to caulk.

A group of local firefighters from Engine 10 followed Robin with a talk
about fire safety. They focused on preventative measures we can all take to
avoid fires in our homes. The list of services that DC firefighters provide
our community can be found here.

The afternoon finished with a graduation ceremony for three homeowners for
their completed 9 hours of workshops with Yachad covering topics from
budgeting to community involvement to home maintenance and safety. They all received a Certificate of Completion, work gloves and a playful piggy bank. We hope to stay in touch with all of our graduates and wish them the very best.

Special thanks to STRIVE DC for letting us hold the workshop in their classroom.

Yesterday we held the second installment of our Homeowners Education Workshop this year. These workshops allow a sustainable partnership with the homeowners, ensuring that they gain home management skills from their experience with Yachad.

We kicked off the workshop with board member Roxanne Littner’s Monthly Money Management workshop. Roxanne’s wise words emphasized the importance of savings, no matter the amount. Then everyone had a chance to visualize their monthly spending by counting out each expense in monopoly money… an exercise that gave tangible understanding of where money goes.

Sherrill Frost-Brown from the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) followed with a talk about possible discrimination from insurance companies and how NFHA is working to stop such injustices. Sherrill also had some helpful tips on how to receive discounts on housing insurance.

We closed the workshop with Connie Mobley, former Yachad homeowner and active community leader, who spoke about community involvement. We looked at ways to be a good neighbor- from aiding the elderly to getting involved in neighborhood initiatives as well as attending ANC meetings.

Special thanks to the Academy of Hope for allowing us to use their space. They are a wonderful organization providing adult education for anyone living in DC above the age of 18. Check out Yachad’s work with Academy of Hope here.

This year’s Sukkot in Spring was very successful. Check out some great highlights below:

Young Pros from Washington Hebrew Congregation’s 2239 help Mrs. Anderson repair her home.

Mrs. Anderson said: “You’ve made my heart so happy. I don’t know how I can thank you enough. Your volunteers…GLOWED!”

Families from Adas Israel’s Scotch and Scripture group came together to help repair the Covenant House of Washington’s teen crisis center.

It was a gorgeous day for all!

Earlier this month, volunteers from Temple Micah, a Washington, DC congregation, worked alongside a DCPS teacher and her adult son to repair their home.

Ed Grossman, William Page, Roberta Goren and Doug Meyer, four champion volunteers lead the group through Yachad’s Sukkot in Spring program. Not only did the volunteers work endlessly to do repairs around the home, their congregation also sponsored the work so Yachad was able to send in a professional roofer to fix the leaky roof.

The homeowner and her son will continue to work with Yachad throughout the year with the Homeowners Education Program (sponsored in large part by the Howard Stanfield Memorial Fund). Alongside with 20 other homeowners throughout the year, they will gain more information on budgeting for homeowners, avoiding scams, and tips on DIY home maintenance.

A very special thanks to all of the wonderful volunteers from Temple Micah including:

Ed Grossman
Leslie Goldman
Steve Goldman
Roberta Goren
Peggy Halpern
Adam Issan
Susan Landfield
Doug Meyer
William Page
Marilyn Park
Jonathan Westrich

DC NONPROFIT HOSTS “GROWN UP FIELD DAY” AT MARIE REED ES

Washington, DC (April 26, 2013)- Yachad (yah-khad) invites everyone 18+ to “get their kid on!” this Cinco de Mayo. Yachad will be hosting a Grown Up Field Day @ Marie Reed full of obstacle courses, relay races, mind challenges and field games, all with a home-repair twist. The event, which will take place on May 5th from 11:45am to 3pm at Marie Reed Elementary School’s field , with bar specials in Adams Morgan to follow, is a fundraiser for Yachad and their young pro network, Yachad United.
Yachad is a nonprofit that brings communities together by preserving affordable homes and revitalizing neighborhoods throughout the DC area. Their young professional network, Yachad United, consisting of young pros who choose to network while giving back to the community, needs to raise money in order to complete two large scale repair projects throughout the year. Not coincidentally, one of the repair projects will be at Marie Reed Elementary School.

Teams of 4-6 people will compete for glory, beer specials, and bragging rights, as well as prizes. The best, worst and best-costumed team will receive prizes from partners including Balance Gym, Pleasant Pops, Vita Coco, KIND Snacks, as well as others. Other partners include Millie & Al’s, Grand Central, The Blaguard, Tryst, Kickball365, Landshark Lager, Los Lobos Burrito Cart, Captain Cookie and the Milk Man and more.

100% of the net proceeds will be donated to Yachad thanks to the large volunteer force being lead by Yachad board member and real estate broker, Jason Kastner and special events consultant, Rachel Miller Griffith. “This event lets us come together for the community and also compete against each other in a really fun way. The buzz around the event is incredible and we cannot wait,” Miller Griffith says.

To register, visit www.yachaddfieldday.eventbrite.com. For more information on the event, or to partner with Yachad, please email Kendra@yachad-dc.org. Individual or team registration is open now while spots last for $25/participant. Limited individual registration will be open the day of for an additional $10/participant.

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Yachad’s mission is to bring communities together by preserving affordable homes and revitalizing neighborhoods throughout the District of Columbia and the greater metropolitan area. Yachad means “together” in Hebrew, and that is how we do our work through partnerships with homeowners, houses of worship, nonprofits, and other community stakeholders. We mobilize skilled and unskilled volunteers, invest financial resources, and, through our work together, transform people and properties. Our mission is rooted in the Jewish commitment to seek justice by engaging in acts of loving kindness. We welcome people of all faiths to share in our work to keep our communities diverse and vital.

Contact Kendra Rubinfeld for Info:
202-296-8563 (w); 202 681-1151 (c)
www.yachad-dc.org
Photos available upon request.

About 25 CES Jewish Day School students and parents happily partnered with Yachad last Sunday as they made significant repairs to the Covenant House’s Crisis Center for teens in Anacostia. For many of the students, it was their first time in Anacostia, and as they painted, hammered, and scraped, they learned new skills and about how less fortunate teens live in their city.

The Covenant House’s Crisis Center provides temporary housing for teens all around DC who have nowhere else to go. The center is the first place many troubled teens come to get their lives back on track. Yachad has been working with the Covenant House to help get their crisis center in better, more welcoming condition. Thanks to volunteer groups like JDS, the project is going very well.

Want to learn more about how you can organize your group of volunteers, click here.

Want to learn more about volunteer opportunities for teens during the summer, click here.

Did you see Yachad in this year’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah Guide produced by the Washington Jewish Week?

If not, here is the great story by Suzanne Pollock about a different kind of Bat Mitzvah.

Want to learn more about how you can celebrate your Bar/Bat Mitzvah like Mollie? Find out more about our Mitzvah Party program here.