Yesterday for Mother’s Day, Yachad United, Yachad’s new network for young professionals committed to networking through hands-on community work, made the day of two local mothers. The group of about 25 young professionals spent the last two months fundraising over 3000 dollars to sponsor the repairs needed to the Trinidad row house inhabited by a mother, her adult daughter, and her daughter’s young son. Run much like a fundraising walk or run, each Yachad Uniter asked their friends and family to sponsor their efforts. With the funds raised, Yachad was able to pay for the professional work needed on the home such as roof repairs, drywall repairs and plumbing repairs. Yesterday, the group finished up the repairs needed such as painting and rebuilding the front porch.  Accessibility modifications will also be made in the home which is sponsored by The National Fair Housing Alliance.  After the home repair, the entire group celebrated down the street at the H Street Country Club, sponsored by Goose Island 312.  More events like this will go on throughout the year.  Sign up today by joining the Yachad United mailing list.

“Having been raised by a single working mother, I know, firsthand, the difficulty of maintaining a home alone. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the rebuilding of this home and giving back to these mothers, quite appropriately, on Mother’s Day,” -Leanna Kramer, Yachad Uniter & TOP FUNDRAISER

(Left to Right) Jessica Stone, Will Holtz, Kendra Rubinfeld, Jodi Tirengel, Jason Kastner, Nicole Hollander, Stacey Adolph, Katherine Veeder, Ilana Fried, Juliana Menezes, Reed Sandridge, Rachel Arguello at H Street Country Club on H Street enjoying their well deserved, donated Goose Island 312 hefferveisen. (not pictured: Marisa Morse, Joseph Morse, Katie Easton, Leanna Kramer,  Andrew Peacemaker, Cathryn O’Sullivan, Justin Barrows)

Here are some photos of the day.

Yachad has been working to rehab the center’s building in the Mt. Vernon, DC neighborhood since early this year. The building, which houses the center’s programs for homeless women and men, has received nearly $9,000 in market value repairs since Yachad began their volunteer-driven work on MLK Day. Four volunteer groups, two construction companies, and nearly 75 individual volunteers will have put man hours toward the project by April 29th (the last volunteer group assigned).

We invite all of you who have worked on the project, to join us for this celebration as the award is just as much yours as Yachad’s.

Please RSVP to Kendra at Kendra@yachad-dc.org.

See the Progress:

Sponsoring Groups:
The Ades Family and Friends (in honor of Zoe Ades’ Bat Mitzvah)
Adas Israel Congregation
Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School
Yachad’s We the People Program

Contractors:
Federalist Builders
Maggio Roofing

Volunteers:
Lisa Ades
Drew Ades
Zoe Ades
Jordan Ades
Erin Ades
Scott Ades
Will Ades
Jamie Ades
Kevin Ades
Mollie Milchberg
Francine Wilson
Scott Wilson
Jacob Wilson
Zachary Wilson
Bob Marin
Ellen Marin
Michael Kreisberg
Andrea Kreisberg
Hanna Kreisberg
Beth Richie
Jordan Richie
Lena Richie
Hallie Richie
Jared Richie
Luke Lama
Maria Lama
Dawn Moffitt
Lisa Roberts
David Glass
Maya Glass
Ella Glass
Brandon Burton
Melissa Francis
Angie Burton
Dan Ehrenberg
Lindsey Aldrich
Kim Perry
Colleen Lee
Sybil Walston
Danielle Paige
Jane Meacham
Kristin Gerlach
Terry Newell
Nery Espinosa
Maria Zumer
Cynthia Hawkins
Audrey Burke
Michael Greenberg
Judy Itkin
Olga Tunga
Eric Campbell
Buky William
Josh Goldberg
Sarah Goldberg
Lee Goldberg
Precious Calloway
Deniz Bilgen
John Huennekens
Kelly Fabian
Heather Fluit
Tamara Slater
Darin Schonzeit
Steven Sharpe
Rachel Rosenthal
Lisa Singh
Christopher Erney
Amanda Zimmerman
Jeff Wachter
Gary Metz
Yelena Lazdun
Teresa Skala
Josh Marks
Neil Roland
Emily Zuelzer
Chris Griffith
Rachel Miller
Adam Levin
Alexis Lavi
Juliet Feldman
Wendy Slavit
Ben Legum
Joshua Laikin
Meryl Yoches
Simon Brown
Debra Benator
Matthew Barofsky
Aaron Glaser
Sara Goldband
Matt Dickens
Jocelyn Davies

The work looks great! Thank you all for doing such a good job! The women have noticed the improvements and like them a lot! Thank you Yachad and your volunteers!

Yachad will continue their work with the center to complete the long scope of work we agreed to do late last year. With the efforts and generosity of Zoe and her friends and family, we are one huge step closer to completing the project.

Enjoy photos from the day here and on our Facebook page.

If you would like to host a Mitzvah Party of your own for any occasion, find out more here.

Collapsed foundation of house

With the remaining bricks and dirt from the completed job, the volunteers formed a water retaining wall to keep the water at bay (see picture).

Retaining wall formed by volunteers

A very special thanks to Ron Zellar, Ari Dallas and Lexi Bock-Robbins for their project management.  Thank you also to all of the volunteers-Steven, Ari, Rachel, Jeff and Shana!

Group of volunteers

For the last five years, two homeowners in DC have been praying for an answer to their problem. Due to lack of funds, they have been unable to do the respective $3680 roof repairs needed to keep their home from deteriorating. Water and debris leaking through their bedroom ceilings, allergens filling their home, it was becoming a health issue as much as an aesthetic problem.

By spring, however, this will no longer be an issue at all. Thanks to Daylight Construction, both of these homeowners will be receiving a new roof , free of charge. As was announced today, Daylight Construction will be donating their services, materials and time, to do the combined $7400 worth of repairs. This all is facilitated through Yachad’s 5H (Hard Hats and Helping Hands Home Repair Program) that facilitates these type of donations between construction companies and homeowners in need.

To hire Daylight Construction for your roof, call 301 525-7845. We encourage you to support those that support us.

Once the roof repairs are completed at these homes, Yachad will send in our volunteer groups and other professionals to complete the interior repairs. We will be sure to keep you posted on the home’s progress.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

On this MLK, Jr. Day, more than 80 Yachad volunteers will put Dr. King’s statement into action. These volunteers will take the first step in putting faith back in people’s  dreams that their homes and community spaces can be made beautiful again.

Volunteers from Leadership Greater Washington, 6th & I, Adas Israel Congregation, YP@AI, Kemp Mill Synagogue, and individuals from Yachad’s volunteer base, will work on six projects throughout the city. This work will help more than 100 low-income DC residents live and enjoy safer and more beautiful homes and community spaces.

The projects that the volunteers will be working on range from single family homes owned by low-income, elderly Washingtonians, day shelters for the homeless, community spaces for HIV/AIDS counseling, and clothes and food pantries.

Work will range from plumbing repairs, laying floor, painting walls, repairing porches, fixing electrical, and installing grab bars. What is not completed this weekend by volunteers will be continued by Yachad’s ongoing construction efforts. Yachad is committed to not only providing excellent volunteer opportunities, but also a cohesive plan for each project’s completion.

This work is immeasurably meaningful for all people involved. Not only for the recipients, most of whom will be working side-by-side with the volunteers to do the work, but for the volunteers as well. Yachad’s mission of building bridges of understanding by building communities will truly shine this MLK, Jr. Day.

Homeowner to be assisted this weekend.

Volunteers working on a Yachad project.

These projects are supported by people like you. Please donate today.

Leadership of Greater Washington will be heading back over to the space on MLK Day and we are thrilled to have them!

If you are part of Leadership Greater Washington, please sign up for the project here.

Want to support Zoe?

DONATE FUNDS:
Click button below. On new page, find heading in upper left corner, “Help Our Cause”. Under that heading, click “Make a Donation”. When prompted, select “Donate Without Sponsoring a Team or Individual.”

Not only is Zoe rolling up her sleeves to complete this work, she is also sponsoring the project.  Zoe is hoping to raise the funds that will pay for the materials and professional labor needed for this project.  Every dollar you donate will be matched by Zoe’s family until they reach the $2000 goal!

VOLUNTEER

If you are interested in also volunteering, please register here.

In Zoe’s Words…

Some people think that the focus of Bat Mitzvah preparation is studying the Torah and learning prayer. Yes, learning about prayer and the Torah is very important; however, since the Bnai Mitzvah is about growing up and becoming an adult in the Jewish Community, it is about more then that. Also central in becoming a Bat Mitzvah is the commitment to “Gemilut Hasadim,” acts of loving kindness; efforts to repair the world. It is important to me that when I celebrate in March with my family and friends, that I also remember all those in our country who are not as fortunate and who need people to be an advocates for change. In this spirit, my family decided to include Gemilut Hasadim into my Bat Mitzvah weekend. We plan to celebrate my honor of being called to the Torah on Saturday, but then on Sunday, my family, friends and I plan to roll up our sleeves and join as a community to help those in need. I am excited to join with my family and friends to help re-build and improve the Rachael’s Women Center.

I recently visited the Rachael’s Women Center. We spent an hour touring the property. When I left the shelter for the first time, my parents asked me what I thought. I replied that I thought it was sad. The building was in such disrepair: the walls were cracked, the paint was peeling, the floorboards were falling apart, but, most of all, the women were alone and homeless. My parents encouraged me to look at the situation in another way: if this women’s shelter was not here, all of these women would be on the streets in the cold. My parents helped me realize the significant importance of this shelter. It emphasized to me just how important it was to help fix it up. That afternoon, I realized that this shelter helped save so many people — the least I could do was help organize the effort to improve the safety, cleanliness and beauty of the building.

In our tour of Rachael’s Womens Center, in addition to the things that needed serious improvement, we also saw so much true beauty: A mural, gorgeous wood working, elaborate crown molding and most importantly, the dedicated staff of the center. This place was not a sad place. It was a happy place that just needed a bit of “loving kindness” to help nurture and foster its inner beauty. I can’t wait to work side by side with my family, my friends and the women who depend on the women’s center to make it a beautiful, comfortable place. I am eager to spread the rewards of hard work and activism among those who I love the most. I know that it feels great to help others, and I truly hope to inspire my friends and family to take the act of loving kindness back to their own communities.

My Torah portion is called Vayikra. Vayikra is about Animal Sacrifice. In the Torah, people sacrificed something really precious, animals, to prove their commitment to G-d. Nowadays people don’t kill animals and give them to G-d, but we can still show our love and appreciate for G-d’s gifts. Something that I believe we find precious is time. Between school, sports, homework and other events, there are only a few free hours on the weekends. I think that by sharing my precious free time to help the Rachael’s Women Center, I am following my ancestors who sacrificed in order to prove their dedication to G-d.

I am really looking forward to working with all of my family and friends and getting to help the women who depend on the Rachael’s Women’s Center. I want to show these women that they are not alone and that their community can rally around and help them. I look forward to seeing them smile when they see the work we have done. I sincerely hope it can brighten up their day. I also truly hope that my friends and family will see the importance of tikkun olam and want to continue to help people.

Watch these videos documenting Zoe’s first visit to the center.

Click to find out more about Yachad’s programs for groups, individuals, teens, or real estate and construction professionals?