HeartBeat Newsletter, Building Heart In Housing by Housing First Minnesota

Heart BEAT Building Heart in Housing

November 2015 Volume 1, Issue 1

A B AT C F O U N D AT I O N N E W S L E T T E R

Accent Homes

A Key Ceremony for

Build Partner

Marco Solt’s New Home

It may have been one of the coldest days of the year so far, but that didn’t stop over a hundred people from coming out to give Army SPC Marco Solt, and his family, a warm welcome home. The BATC Foundation with partners Home for Our Troops and build partner Accent Homes handed over a mortgage free specially adapted home to the Solt family during a very special key ceremony.

and even Senator Klobuchar who met Solt while he was recovering in D.C. noted, that he has always maintained his bright and optimistic attitude.

Veterans, BATC members, volunteers, donors, and several other organizations were there to line the street as Marco and his family were escorted to their beautiful new home in Ramsey. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken were also in attendance and gave a special thank you to the new homeowners.

The Solt’s new home features over 40 special adaptations including widened doorways, lowered countertops, roll-under cook tops and sinks designed to ensure full wheelchair accessibility. The public was invited to tour the home after the keys had been handed over.

Marco lost both his legs below the knee in Afghanistan when his unit’s vehicle hit an IED. Throughout the key ceremony friends, family,

“Something I’ll never forget. I was having a bad day and I thought I’ll go over there and meet some of our injured troops, and Marco was so optimistic. He said, I’ve lost my legs, but I’ve got my life in front of me,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar.

“We are so excited, I’m at a loss for words, not only does this mean a lot to me, but it means a lot to all veterans. It shows them that there are people out there that support them,” said Marco Solt.

Construction on the home started back in May. Since then, hundreds have volunteered at the site and have offered to help any way that they could. Thank you to build partner Accent Homes and all our amazing BATC members who donated their materials and time to this project. To say the Solt family was excited to get settled would be an understatement, their moving trucks arrived just after the key ceremony. Their two-year old son Devin was eager to have his first meal at the home, and enjoyed lunch right on the living room floor. Marco said they have much to be thankful this year and will enjoy their cozy new home just in time for the holidays. The Solt family will soon prepare for one more. They are expecting a baby boy due this March.

“We are profoundly honored and proud to deliver this beautiful home to SPC Marco Solt and his family. Many thanks to the trade partners and volunteers that stepped up to make this a reality for this deserving family that has given so much in service to America.”

Bud Dropps, President “The integral collaboration, joy and moving journey with HFOT and Marco Solt family… IMMEASURABLE!”

Jim Kuiken, Lead Design Consultant

Southview Design Landscape Build Partner

“Giving something back to the community has always been an important part of Southview Design. When presented with the opportunity to work with the BATC Foundation on a variety of projects, we gladly accept the challenge. The result is a collaborative effort among our colleagues in the building trades industry to give back by doing what we do best.”

Chris Clifton, President

Bachman’s

Landscape Build Partner “Helping communities thrive and bringing beauty to life is the foundation of Bachman’s commitment to customers and the community. Working with the BATC Foundation Home and providing trees, plants and flowers to the Marco Solt landscape was a rewarding experience. Multiple industries and dedicated volunteers worked diligently to help provide a future where dreams and memories will have a home.”

Karen Bachman Thull, Director, Marketing & Corporate Communications

It has been a privilege for BATC Foundation and our partners to work on an accessible home for the Solt family. We honor Marco’s service, the sacrifices of the family, and the leadership both Marco and Gena provide our community through their humanity, hard work and grace under difficult circumstances. And so we say to Marco, Gena, Devin, and let’s not forget the other family members, Tyson the bull dog, and Vito the boxer, welcome home and thank you for being part of our community.

A Letter from the

Executive Director

Secret of Happiness A couple of months ago a colleague handed me an article titled “Secret of Happiness: Being Generous.” The article from the Chicago Tribune talks about the many research studies that proclaim the physical and psychological benefits of giving. According to studies, the benefits are significant: lowered blood pressure, lower risk of dementia, less anxiety and depression, reduced cardiovascular risk and overall greater happiness. As someone whose career has focused on providing people with opportunities to give, I could have told you this without the trouble of running a study (although it’s nice to have the affirmation). I have seen the satisfaction in the eyes of someone who has made a difference. As a donor, I know that it feels good to help others. Of course, I know that most people don’t give just because it makes them feel good—there are many reasons for giving, just as there are many ways to give. Volunteering your time has the same benefits as making a cash donation—so keep in mind that we’ll soon be looking for Build Partners for our 2016 projects. As I write this, we are just a few weeks away from Thanksgiving, traditionally a time for reflection and giving thanks. Thinking about this past year, I give thanks for the opportunity to support a remarkable young family—Marco and Gena Solt and their young son Devin. I believe that Marco and his family have given more to many of us than he has received. His courage and resourcefulness in the face of his challenges are inspiring. Marco could have given up but instead he has refused to let the physical loss of two legs slow him down. He truly is a hero.

Perri Graham-Raff

BATC Foundation Executive Director

The statistics vary, but many fund raising “experts” will tell you that anywhere from 10 to 40 percent of all financial gifts are made during the last week of the year. As you make plans for your end of year charitable giving, please think of the BATC Foundation. We are growing and have big plans, but we need your help to get there. You can visit us online at www.batc. org/donatevolunteer where you can give a one-time gift or become a Sustaining Donor by setting up a recurring monthly or quarterly gift. Thank you for your support of the BATC Foundation – whether it comes through a cash gift, a material donation to a project, serving as a volunteer or just putting in a good word for us as you’re chatting with colleagues. We’ve got some great projects in the pipeline for 2016 so stay tuned!

How Will You Build Your Legacy?

We invite you to be a founding member of our Legacy Society. The BATC Foundation is transforming lives but there is more to do. Gifts to the Legacy Society will provide the core of our Future Fund and will make certain that the BATC Foundation will continue for years to come. We need your help to build the fund to our initial goal of one million dollars.

It’s Easy to Join Joining the Legacy Society is as easy as including the BATC Foundation in your will and letting us know. There is no minimum gift and you do not need to disclose the amount. To find out more, visit BATCFoundation.org or contact Perri Graham-Raff (Perri@batc.org • 651-607-7563).

Heart BEAT

Your Legacy Gift is a powerful investment in the future of the BATC Foundation. BATCFoundation.org

A A B B AT AT C C F FO OU UN ND D AT AT II O ON N N NE EW WS SL LE ET TT TE ER R

Your BATC Foundation’s newest program, HomeAid Twin Cities, is launching this fall with a little help from BATC’s Young Professionals. Our dedicated young BATC members are facilitating a drive to provide necessities and gifts for 16–20 year-old homeless youth.

Please join us in donating new clothing and gift items for Avenues for Youth.

How do we value our homeless youth? Used with permission & written by Kathy Magnuson It could be the 17-year-old young woman whose dad lost his job and then the family lost their home. They moved in with another family. There wasn’t enough room for everyone, so she went out on her own. She was so close to graduating from high school, but it was tough to do homework when she didn’t know where she’d be sleeping each night. She dropped out. It could be the girl who grew up with a crackaddicted mother. Her mother moved to another state, and the daughter stayed behind. She didn’t tell any friends or teachers that she slept anywhere she could —sheds, empty buildings, new construction. When winter set in, it got cold. It could be the 16-year-old whose mother kicked her out of the house when she found out her daughter was a lesbian. She lived from one friend’s home to another until her welcome wore out. She bounced from school to school, running out of options. There are lots of stories to go with the statistics— stories of how young people became homeless and what happened to them. According to the Wilder Foundation, on any night in Minnesota more than 4,000 youth and young adults are homeless. Homeless youth are disproportionately people of color and victims of violence, be it sexual, physical or emotional abuse. “Every young person’s story is unique,” according to Deborah Loon, executive director of Avenues for Homeless Youth, an organization that provides emergency shelter, short-term housing and supportive services for homeless youth. But among those stories, economic, racial and cultural disparities are an underlying factor. “What we try to do is to provide a safe place and support them in figuring out how to overcome those disparities,” she says.

Heart BEAT

About 250 youth each year stay at Avenues an average of 90-120 days with a goal of moving into stable living arrangements.

“

Young people are so resilient. They have so much potential. They just need a little bit of support to help them along. —Deborah Loon

Finding hope in this situation is the easy part, according to Loon. “Young people are so resilient. They have so much potential. Once they can move out of crisis and survival mode, you can see them start to feel safer and begin to look to their future. They just need a little bit of support to help them along. They have it in them.” The barriers are the tough part. “We can’t fix all the barriers, the social injustice,” Loon says. Avenues aims to break what is sometimes a cycle of intergenerational poverty in order to help young people with unfair circumstances share the same dreams as other young people who have homes. About half of the youth leaving Avenues move into a housing program or an apartment of their own. Imagine if you were a young person who had recently lived on the street and were now setting up your own home space. What resources would you have?

All of us are facing Minnesota’s cold winter including Minnesota’s homeless youth. Please consider taking action. All donations made by BATC members will have a significant impact. Donations can be dropped at BATC any time before December 3rd or save a trip and bring donations along to the December 3rd BATC Buck Auction.

New Clothing

Adult sizes, men’s and women’s, appropriate for ages 16-20: • • • • •

Hoodies Robes Slippers Socks Sports Bras

• Sweatpants/ Yoga Pants • T-shirts • A-shirts/ Undershirts • Underwear

Holiday Gifts

New, unwrapped items for men and women, appropriate for ages 16-20: • • • • •

Baseball Caps Cosmetics Ear Buds Gift Cards Gloves

• Metro Transit Cards • Perfume/Cologne • Body Lotion & Body Wash • Wallets

A A B B AT AT C C F FO OU UN ND D AT AT II O ON N N NE EW WS SL LE ET TT TE ER R

20th A NNIVERSARY

Building a Firm Foundation by Trace Mills, President, BATC Foundation Board of Directors

Over the past few years, I have had the privilege of building on the excellent groundwork of many BATC Foundation volunteers from past years. The Foundation’s success is reflected in the following things:

WE’VE TOUCHED HEARTS:

WE’VE CREATED A FIRM FOUNDATION:

•

We have helped some incredible and inspiring people over the last couple of years. Looking back at the difference we’ve made in the lives of people like Zack, his mom Cheryl, Marco and Gena, the men who live at Bluebird House and the dozens of others we’ve helped over the years – we can be proud of the work we’ve done.

•

The last two years have been spent developing critical best practices in our governance and financial structure. This has included restructuring the Board of Directors, new By-Laws, and a new financial management system more clearly shows how funds are being spent.

•

In addition to helping Zach with a new home, we were also able to help Zach’s mom receive a scholarship to a paralegal program. Cheryl’s goal is to be an advocate for the disabled.

•

We are in process of review by the Minnesota Charities Review Council and hope to be approved by the end of the year.

•

Our investment funds have been repositioned for greater growth.

WE’VE INCREASED BATC MEMBER PARTICIPATION: •

Some of the best people on earth help with the Foundation and our projects: the Foundation Board of Directors and committee members; Build Partners like Accent Homes, Vujovich Design Build, Finished Basements and all of the subs who have stepped in to work on these projects; everyone who has donated materials; and of course the BATC staff – they are some of the most dedicated people I’ve ever worked with.

•

BATC Young Professionals (YPs) are sponsoring a clothing drive in cooperation with Avenues for Homeless Youth supporting the Foundation’s HomeAid Program.

•

The Foundation has increased our visibility within BATC significantly. Members have a better understanding of who we are, what we do and how they can be involved.

•

Although the Foundation has always worked through partner agencies, the past two years have seen several new partnerships that have helped to increase our visibility. These include Homes for Our Troops, Homeward Bound, HomeAid America and, although not new, a strengthening of our partnership with Rebuilding Together Twin Cities.

•

HomeAid Twin Cities, a new program of the Foundation, will mean that we can access new material donations for projects that focus on service providers that deal with homelessness. One of our first events is the clothing and gift drive that we’re doing right now for Avenues for Youth, a Minneapolis shelter that serves homeless youth.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: •

We’re still putting together some of our projects for next year so I can’t tell you too many details yet but I can say that we’ll continue our focus on veterans. Look for our first big HomeAid Twin Cities project in 2016. Our first gala will be on April 16 and it’s going to be a great party – you won’t want to miss it! We celebrated our 20th Anniversary this year and I can confidently say that our next 20 years are going to be even better!

WE’VE REACHED OUT:

Heart BEAT

A B AT C F O U N D AT I O N N E W S L E T T E R

Upcoming Events November 21, 2015

Army SPC Marco Solt Key Ceremony 9:30am • 6774–153rd Lane NW, Ramsey, MN 55303

December 3, 2015

BATC Buck Auction & Young Professionals Donation Drive Supporting the BATC Foundation’s HomeAid Twin Cities for the Homeless

January 14, 2016

The 2016 Launch Party Economic Forecast, Annual Meeting and BATC & BATC Foundation New Board Induction.

February 20, 2016

BATC Foundation Artisan Dream Homes Open Open during the Spring Parade of Homes; Feb. 20–Mar. 20; Thurs.–Sun. 12–6pm

April 16, 2016

BATC Foundation’s 1st Annual Hearts in Housing Gala Metropolitan Ballroom, Golden Valley

June 3, 2016

BATC Foundation’s Evening of Dreams

June 3–5, 10–12 & 17–19, 2016

Artisan Home Tour A Portion of Ticket Proceeds Benefit the BATC Foundation

For Additional Event Information, Visit BATCFoundation.org.

Karen’s House Karen was a Surgical RN when she needed emergency back surgery. During the surgery, Karen experienced oxygen deprivation which resulted in injury to her brain which ultimately left her with an extreme sensitivity to light and other problems. Karen had trouble controlling the light coming into her home so she decided to finish her basement with money she received in a settlement related to her injury. Unfortunately, Karen was the victim of an unscrupulous contractor who left her with an unfinished mess. After living with a partially finished project for more than two years, Karen’s project was referred to the BATC Foundation by Rebuilding Together Twin Cities. Build Partner Finished Basements has worked with Karen to transform her basement from a partly finished mess into a beautiful retreat where Karen can escape when she needs to control the headaches that occur because of her sensitivity to light. The basement features a new bathroom, new flooring and drywall, and even a dog-washing station for her service dog, Joey. The project should be completed by the end of November. Many thanks to Finished Basements!

Hearts Save the Date 1ST ANNUAL

GALA

April 16, 2016

Metropolitan Ballroom, Golden Valley

Join us as we come together for a fun night of celebration and support for our favorite charity—the BATC Foundation! We’re planning a great evening of food, libations, superb entertainment (Deuces Wild piano duo) and lots of laughs. Get the date on your calendar now and stay tuned for more details!