The mission of Building Goodness, a Charlottesville-based charity, is to build community and improve lives. What they do is greatly needed in our area and I’m happy to support their efforts.
Building Goodness brings together volunteers from every part of the construction industry to design and build structures for communities in need. Together with partners, they use donations of time, money, materials, and expertise to build clinics, schools, community centers, and specialized housing for those who need them most—both in our own community and around the world. Non-construction volunteers are a critical part of their team. And, beyond the bricks and mortar of a new structure, BGF volunteers build lasting relationships with the people they are helping—relationships that profoundly improve the lives of all involved.
Currently, Building Goodness Foundation has projects right here at home in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area making structural improvements on homes and nonprofit organizations’ facilities. Following the desire to help beyond or our own community, BGF volunteers are also working at the Mattaponi Reservation near Richmond, VA, and several rebuilding sites in Haiti. In addition to ongoing local work, our volunteers have completed numerous buildings in Gulf Coast town of Pearlington, MS, in Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and El Salvador since 1999.
Founders, volunteers and community members talk about the inspiration and connectedness of BGF–from that first trip to Haiti to the reality of 13 years of building community and improving lives here and abroad. Watch the BGF video
A few of Building Goodness’ current projects. Please CLICK HERE to lend your support for any of their projects:
Barrett Early Learning Center, Charlottesville
Founded in 1935, Barrett Early Learning Center is Virginia’s oldest preschool. The center provides a nurturing, educational, and healthy environment for some of our community’s youngest residents, with a special focus on children from low-income families.
We’re honored to yet again partner with this Charlottesville institution. We’ll be working to ensure the safety of the students, as well as the educators and staff entrusted with their care. BGF volunteers will install two steel fire escapes, replacing the aging, wood fire escapes.
CODEP Depot – Leogane, Haiti
The CODEP Depot for Community Development will be a multi-use building that supports the CODEP animators and their business development. The building will provide space for the production of coffee and textiles, storage for tree-planting supplies, and a market for fruits and vegetables. The Depot will serve as a micro-business development center, providing training in business development, accounting, and economics. It will also be used as a meeting place for the CODEP animators, group leaders for the different CODEP regions.
CODEP works with 30 small communities and 600 Haitian farmers (200 of whom are women) to improve their lives and those of their families. Just a few of CODEP’s accomplishments include:
- Planting over 7 million trees since 2000.
- Digging over 1,000 miles of contour ditches to prevent further erosion.
- Installing/Building over 100 cisterns and almost 90 houses as incentive awards/earthquake replacement homes since 2000.
- Impacting the lives of over 50,000 people in the Léogâne Commune.
Arc of the Piedmont, Charlottesville
BGF is once again partnering with Arc of the Piedmont, this time to make some much needed repairs to one of their residences right here in Charlottesville. The Arc strives to improve the lives of those living with physical and intellectual disabilities through a number of programs including assisted living. The residence on Jefferson Park Circle is home to six adults, and provides a structured atmosphere where they can live more independent and empowered lives.
BGF volunteers will be installing air conditioning units in two bedrooms on the second floor, as well as tackling some basic carpentry and roofing repairs around the house.
Related articles
- Impacts of the 2010 Earthquake (hjbabcock.wordpress.com)
- A couple’s calling to help Haiti’s orphans (jacksonville.com)
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