Archive for the ‘Community Involvement’ Category

Empty Bowls, Full Spirits!

Monday, January 16th, 2012

Last week, Kaine Homes hosted the Empty Bowl Supper reception for 2012. We welcomed about 30 artists and Project Echo representatives into the model for dinner and cocktails in preparation for the Empty Bowl Supper event in Spring.

This March, Project Echo will be hosting their annual Empty Bowl Supper to support their organization. The event will feature handmade bowls for purchase along with various soups from local chefs and restaurants. All proceeds support Project Echo.

More information on the event will become available on our blog and Facebook page, so be sure to check back in!

Sending Some Love Overseas

Monday, December 26th, 2011

In what is becoming an annual tradition here at Kaine Homes, we all came together at our Christmas party a couple of weeks ago to prepare care packages for two special troops overseas. If you aren’t familiar, Kaine Homes has sent care packages to two troops at Christmas in lieu of a gift exchange for over three years.

Curious who the recipients are?

chuck
Charles William Mister “Charlie” “Chuck”
Charlie has been enlisted in the U.S. Army for 6 years as a Combat Engineer. His 1st tour was to Iraq as a Combat Engineer (2008 – 2009) and his 2nd tour is to Afghanistan, where he currently is and serving as a Combat Engineer. Charlie’s home base station is located in Hawaii. When he returns from his current tour and his re-enlistment begins he will be stationed in Atlanta, GA. Charlie earned his Sapper Tap in 2010. The Sapper Leader Course trains selected combat engineer unit leaders in leadership skills, combat engineer and infantry battle drills, and the specialized engineer and infantry techniques required to perform as members of a Sapper Battalion. The course is also designed to build cohesion and esprit de corps by training soldiers in troop leading procedures, demolitions (conventional and expedient), mountaineering operations, aerial operations, airborne operations, foreign weapons, land navigation, waterborne operations and contingency threat. The course culminates in an intense field training exercise that reinforces the use of the battle drills and specialized engineer techniques learned throughout the course. Charlie’s hometown is Calvert County, Maryland. He is the son of John and Christine Mister and the brother to Amanda Pellettiere, Shelby and Jennifer Mister. He is also recently engaged to Sandra Hutchings, whom he met while in Hawaii. The two are to be married in May 2012.

Samteague
Captain Samuel Teague
Sam attend Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio and was a member of their Army ROTC program. He graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing and commissioned in May 2008 as a Second Lieutenant in the Army. Beginning in August 2008, Sam was stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. While at Walter Reed, Sam worked as a Registered Nurse on a medical surgical floor where he eventually became Assistant Head Nurse of his floor. Sam was selected to serve on the committee to facilitate the closing of Walter Reed and the merging of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the opening of the new Army hospital located on Fort Belvior in Alexandria, Virginia. During Sam’s final evaluation at Walter Reed, Sam was selected as the #1 lieutenant out of 62 other lieutenants working in the hospital. Once Walter Reed closed, Sam moved to Fort Belvior and began working in the Same Day Surgical Unit. Shortly after, Sam was promoted to Captain and left for his deployment to Afghanistan on October 15, 2011. Sam is currently serving in the Intensive Care Unit at Camp Dwyer in Helmand, Afghanistan. He should be home sometime in May 2012.

We look forward to Charlie and Sam receiving their gifts and most importantly, thanks to ALL the service men and women for their sacrifices!

Wounded Warrior Donations!

Monday, November 28th, 2011

Kaine Homes is currently supporting Wounded Warrior Project with a donation for those homeowners who qualify for our program. We appreciate the support we’ve received from homeowners and visitors to our model home and know we all agree that this is certainly a worthy organization.

We want to thank our most recent homeowners, Keith and Alice, for their participation! Congratulations on your new home and we appreciate your support!

Donation

Success!

Monday, November 14th, 2011

Yesterday, several representatives from a variety of companies came together for a holiday shopping event here at the Kaine model. Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, Scentsy, just to name a few, not only gave people the opportunity to cross some items off of Christmas lists but also to donate to Wounded Warrior Project.

If you’re interested in what companies were available to shop from, please email Bobbi at bobbi@kainehomes.com

Please check our blog in the coming weeks for a final tally on the amount donated to Wounded Warrior!

Brem Against Breast Cancer

Monday, November 7th, 2011

Yesterday, Kaine Homes was a platinum sponsor for the Brem Foundation seminar on breast cancer awareness. The Brem Foundation is an all-volunteer organization using community outreach, early detection diagnosis and tons of education and research to fight the battle against breast cancer. The seminar was held at the Hall of Huntingtown at the Huntingtown Volunteer Fire Department.

Dr. Rachel Brem spoke at the seminar. She is the Director of Breast Imaging and Intervention at George Washington University Medical Center as well as Vice Chair of the Department of Radiology. Dr. Brem is an amazing woman who has fought her own battle with breast cancer and has dedicated her life to helping and saving others. We were so fortunate to listen to her story as well as her advice.

If you have the opportunity, please visit the Brem Foundation website and educate yourself…you never know when you can use that knowledge for a friend, family member or even yourself.

Brem Foundation

Maryland’s Teachers of the Year

Monday, September 26th, 2011

The Baltimore Sun featured the 2011-2012 nominees for Teacher of the Year and Calvert County is represented by Calvert High’s Julie Morrison, a grades 9-12 mathematics teacher!

Per the Maryland State Department of Education’s website….
Calvert County – Calvert High School
Julie Morrison, Mathematics, Grades 9-12
Julie Morrison has been a Mathematics and Science teaching professional for 12.5 years. At Calvert High School, she won the 2011 SMECO Mathematics Teacher Award. Julie supervises the Minority Achievement Committee Scholars Program and increased Honors Algebra 2 enrollment by 15 percent. Her students exceeded the county midterm average even with a more inclusive enrollment. Julie provides afterschool tutoring for at-risk students, lunch math assistance and SAT prep classes, and leads staff development opportunities for differentiated learning strategies. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Marshall University and a Master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma.

Congratulations to Julie and all the nominees for such an amazing accomplishment. We look forward to finding out who wins TEACHER OF THE YEAR on October 14, 2011.

To read bios on the other teachers, please visit the news release on the state’s website from May.

Run to End Hunger

Monday, September 19th, 2011

We’re about a month away from the Run to End Hunger in Calvert County 5k…have you registered?

The races begins at 8:15 a.m. on Saturday October 22, 2011. The course starts at Trinity United Methodist Church on Main Street and the route is mostly flat with an “out and back” course. Registration before October 1 is $20.00; October 1 until race day is $25.00. Canned good donations are being accepted. Awards will be presented to top finishers AND there’s a race for children and adults!

If you want to register, visit the Active.com registration website today and get your sneakers ready-we’ll see you at the race!

Run to End Hunger

Let the 2011-2012 School Year Begin!

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

Happy School Year to all students, school faculty and parents! Summer is unofficially over and by the end of the week your student will be knee-deep in books and assignments.

To make sure your student has the best school year possible, check out some of these tips issued from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

1. Choose a backpack with wide, padded shoulder straps-the more comfortable with the weight of the books, the better.
2. Always utilize all the comparts your backpack offers. Spread the weight of the contents around and always pack the heaviest item/book closest to the center of the back.
3. Stay positive! Highlight all the benefits of starting a new school year-new friends, seeing old friends, and being able to participate in the classes they enjoy again.
4. Schedule ample homework time and set a rule that the tv stays off until school work is finished.

For these tips and much more, be sure to visit the AAP website on Back to School Tips.

Good luck and everyone enjoy your first day!
Back to School found on Google Images search

Project Echo News

Monday, August 1st, 2011

Update straight from Project Echo:

“Berserk Vikings and Mad Badgers invade ECHO House
In Mid July a huge horde of teenagers from Minnesota and Michigan with one lone Philadelphian swooped down on ECHO House. The parish of Saint John Vianney was sponsoring the Catholic Heart Work Camps and Father Daly figured ECHO House need some sprucing up

What a crew they were! The dust never settled until they were gone. They not only had heart, they also had muscle and sweat to spare. This merry band of marauders attacked the basement walls with paint and brushes that would have made their namesakes proud. Equally important only half the paint ended up on them! Amid the chaos several members took time out to read to some of the younger residents at ECHO– always a popular time for the under five set.

Once the basement walls of ECHO House had been totally subdued with paint, they then moved their operation upstairs to the common area where they noticed 1,000 unaddressed envelopes. They attacked, they conquered, and we now have all the annual appeal envelopes addressed.

Then they departed. ECHO House spritelier from their visit. What a great group of youth. The nation’s future is in good hands if they are typical. ECHO house can not thank them enough.”
Project echo

We All Scream For Ice Cream!

Monday, June 20th, 2011

Shannon and Bobbi went to Project Echo this past Thursday to represent Kaine and host an ice cream social for the residents. Trish Gipson, the Director of PE, was hosting a Resource Day for the residents, which allows them the ability to meet and speak with different organizations throughout Calvert County for various opportunities. These opportunities come in the forms of jobs and housing, giving each person the chance for a new start.

The Project Echo home is located in Prince Frederick, MD and allows housing to over 35 men, women and children who are without a place to stay. Trish, the PE staff and the residents all work together to maintain a safe and clean environment for everyone.

Project Echo does accept donations, in the form of meals, household items, toiletries and volunteer time. For more information on Project Echo and how you can help, please visit their website.

Thank you Project Echo for having us!