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GSA Letter to the Community
Thanks to the volunteers who built the Center of Hope in Ashburn
By Mark Schmitt
June 27th was truly an amazing day for the Ashburn Community. On that day, Toll Brothers’, Inc. turned over the keys for The Center of Hope to the Good Shepherd Alliance (GSA) so we could begin moving into our new headquarters. It has been a remarkable journey transforming a dilapidated building and grounds into a stunningly renovated facility surrounded by a beautifully landscaped property. Words cannot adequately capture the appreciation felt by GSA toward the members of the community who spent countless hours to transform 20684 Ashburn Road into a place where God will be praised through service to others. I was astounded at not only the individual efforts expended but by the sheer number of people involved with this project since we began our journey back in April 2007. It may not be “The Greatest Story Ever Told” but one worth sharing.
Large capital expansion efforts always begin with the realities associated with funding. Congressman Frank Wolf, through a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, EDI Special Grant, secured a grant to fund the initial seed capital required. Then both Middleburg Bank and BB&T came forward to offer financing to secure the property and fund the renovation. Our bank executives not only helped craft the right financing but also identified real estate and legal experts that donated their time to navigate us through the very complex commercial development process. Clint Good, our architect, provided design leadership from beginning to end.
Then in the summer of 2007 HomeAid agreed to sponsor the project and Toll Brothers agreed to act as a builder captain. What is a build captain you might ask? Simply put, it’s a group of building professionals that worked with us and finalized the design, secured the permits, planned the construction, managed the acquisition of the materials, and identified and worked with the numerous subcontractors that performed the work at cost, below cost, and sometimes for no cost at all. Our friends from Toll Brothers did this simply because they were asked to help; they worked early mornings, lunch hours, evenings, weekends, and whenever they could make the time.
Along the way, dozens of companies, and literally over a hundred construction professionals and various members of the community came forth to give freely of their time. These included folks from Beckstrom Electric, Batman Corporation, Leonard Landscaping, Turner Construction, Flooring Solutions, Cornerstone Chapel, Word of Life International Church, David Allen Company, Lockheed Martin Network of Volunteers, Bob McNanley Jr. Telecommunications Consultant, Patton Boggs LLP, Bay Lighting, Runyon Well Drilling and Pump Company, and many, many more. To support these efforts my sincere appreciation is also extended to the staff of GSA. In addition to their day jobs, they worked over these many months, through some tumultuous times, to do the daily heavy lifting to turn a dream into reality.
What these caring members of the community have accomplished, and the gift that has resulted has surpassed all expectations. Yes, it will most definitely be the cornerstone to launch and fund homeless services and support those in need. But your gift is even more than that---it will be a cherished part of the Ashburn community where the men, women, children, families, and groups of all kinds can come together and be part of something bigger than any one of us individually through service to those less fortunate.
Many thanks and blessings,
Mark Schmitt
Ashburn, Virginia
GSA-Treasurer
703-505-8444
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