Spring 2003

Home of Hope Charity Donation Largest Ever
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Home of Hope Charity Donation Largest Ever

Pictured above from left to right: Mike Matthews, Leigh Rae Kmiec, Chris Rose, Ray Sandbek, Nancy Martin, Kendrick McCandless, Carl Thomas, Jerry McCandless, Chris Grosskopf, Jerry Thomas, Joe Pusateri, Barry Stoess, Larry Wood, John Sawaya, Tom Thomas, Scott Cross, Richard Boland, Jay Baumgardner, Scott Clark, Phil Deddens, Rich Shanks, and Rocky Pusateri.

$165,324 !!! Some of the forgotten children of Romania will be a little better off because of the generosity of so many in Louisville, Kentucky. The Home of Hope sold in early March and closed on April 30, 2003. The check for $165,324, which represents the net proceeds, was presented to Jerry McCandless of the Evergreen Foundation on May 6th at a ceremony at the home with many of our sub-contractors and suppliers also taking part in the presentation.

The $165,324 far exceeds what any of our previous charity homes have raised. The huge increase in our check was in large part due the fact that so many of our sub-contractors and suppliers increased their level of giving from previous levels. For instance, Steve Koenig of Koenig Brothers made the largest gift, totally donating the plumbing and heating on the home. Chris Grosskopf, our construction superintendent, did a fantastic job completing the house in record time.

A tour of the home, that was completely decorated and furnished, was held from February 9th -16th. The tour was preceded by a VIP party for all contributors on Saturday evening February 8th. The 80 or so attendees heard Romanian Cosmonaut Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu as he shared a power-point presentation about his voyage in space. The house was blessed and dedicated as well and the evening was very memorable for everyone who joined us on this special night.

With this check, Elite Homes along with its team of sub-contractors and suppliers have now donated approximately $600,000 to worthy charities over the past 12 years. We are already making plans for the next Home of Hope that we will build later this year.