Hundreds of people and organizations in our community give regularly to Second Story to support the sustainability of our programs. Hear from a few of them about why they’ve chosen Second Story by reading their giving stories.
Rabab Butti, Second Story Board Member
I first got involved with Second Story in 2008 when my kids were in middle school and they were looking for community service hours. We prepared snack packs for kids at Second Story. And we continued supporting Second Story since then. My husband and I like supporting agencies close to home. I would often take leftover meals from Teacher Appreciation lunches and International Night dinners.
After I retired from Fannie Mae, I went to several events at Second Story, including an Open Door tour. I was looking for ways to give back and joined the Board of Second Story. I brought on Fannie Mae as a volunteer group. I volunteered at Second Story for Teens in Crisis by organizing the pantry and storage rooms, shredding papers, and getting friends to help stuff envelopes for annual mailings. I organized a field trip to Finance Park in Fairfax where students from our Falls Church location learned about budgeting, investing, saving. I’ve helped organize donations at the Second Story for Young Mothers townhouses. A friend helped me provide interviewing and resume building workshops.
The best part for me has been getting to know the staff and feeling like I’ve helped make a difference in our corner of the world.
DPR Construction
What makes a safe haven? Warmth? Protection? Stability? Comfort? It’s all of those things. At Second Story, we’ve been providing safe havens to youth experiencing homelessness or another crisis for more than 50 years.
While we are experts at providing that personal contact, listening ear, guidance, and support, there are many individuals and organizations who volunteer behind the scenes to ensure our programs’ structures are sound and fully functioning. These structures include houses for young mothers and their babies, an emergency home for teens in crisis, after-school programs, a teen center, and family resource centers. DPR Construction is one of those behind-the-scenes organizations.
For more than seven years, DPR has worked side by side with Second Story to help keep our facilities up to date, fully functional, comfortable, and safe. They also provide educational opportunities to our staff and the youth in our programs. A special “thank you” goes to DPR’s Caroline McKeon, Stacey Groomes, and Karelyn Donahue for their responses below and to the entire DPR family for their support all year round!
How long has DPR supported Second Story?
Seven years.
Why does DPR continue to support Second Story?
DPR’s philanthropic vision is “Building possibilities for the under-resourced.” Second Story is a wonderful philanthropy that aligns well with DPR’s pillars: facility construction and renovation, career and education guidance for youth, and operational support for nonprofit partners. The multiple facilities Second Story has available to the community allow us to continue to have our larger “Service September” projects while also having the opportunities to tap into our other pillars by helping under-resourced youth and providing operational support.
What is it about Second Story’s mission that speaks to DPR and its staff?
Respect for the individual, change the world—these have been our core beliefs since day one. They are our guiding principles in decision-making, and they push us to do better. DPR has a unique understanding that it all starts with people. And as a builder, DPR has a unique ability to leverage its skills and knowledge in ways that create new opportunities in the places we operate. Second Story is a natural fit with these core beliefs. Second Story knows that it all starts with people. Providing opportunities to our youth can often change their lives. We feel fortunate to give back to a philanthropy that is doing such important work.
What are some of your organization’s favorite memories about supporting Second Story?
It is hard to put into words what my favorite memories are, they are all different and they are all my favorite. It is great to see the kids’ happy faces when we have planned activities for them out at our clients’ spaces, at our office, and at the center. So, I think seeing the kids excited about the potential careers they can have, would be my favorite. But I also like to know that Second Story can depend on us to take care of their facilities and revamp them into bright fun places that the kids enjoy going to and that work well for the function of the programs.
Why is it important to DPR that Second Story has safe, comfortable spaces?
DPR takes a collaborative, measurable approach to our philanthropy. We believe that philanthropy and volunteering are about more than giving money to a cause and checking a box. We combine our unique skills and resources as a company with a careful selection of nonprofit partners to create real social change. As a construction company, we have the available resources to do these updates and renovations. We want to make an impact, period. We believe using these resources to make safe and comfortable spaces for Second Story is helping to make a real impact for local youth. Providing spaces for our youth could change the trajectory of their lives and we feel privileged to play a part in that.
What projects has DPR worked on for Second Story over the years?
- Multiple projects at Second Story for Teens in Crisis, Second Story’s emergency home for youth ages 13 to 17, since 2016, including a kitchen renovation
- Painting at the homes for Second Story for Young Mothers
- After-school program revamp at the Culmore Family Resource Center and Teen Center, Phase One
- After-school program revamp at the Culmore Family Resource Center and Teen Center, Phase Two
- Springfield Family Resource Center Revamp
- Team-building training for Second Story’s staff, as well as small events and board meetings
- Career education for youth activities (jobsite walks, office activities, activities at the after-school programs)
What was the most recent project DPR worked on for Second Story?
Our most recent work was our Service September project. This was a beautification and organization venture at Second Story for Teens in Crisis in Vienna, VA. We had a team of volunteers that cleared out over 60 bags of yard waste, laid 25 bags of mulch, pruned the landscaping, and bought new planters for the front porch. In addition, we bought new plastic bins and labels to help better organize the supplies in the basement. Doing this helps to keep the supplies in safe and waterproof bins. This proved to be helpful when an unfortunate flood to the basement occurred the weekend after this was completed. In addition to our Service September project, we were proud to be the company on speed dial to provide services that popped up for Second Story for Teens in Crisis. DPR coordinated to replace the sump pump and a new garbage disposal system later that week. We hope to be that steady partner for Second Story and show up where we can to help.
Benita Stocks (NAIOP Northern Virginia)
This would have been the ninth year that NAIOP Northern Virginia held their annual snack pack drive. In years past they have solicited corporate sponsors, ordered food and supplies, and gathered in person to pack and deliver snack packs for Second Story in the Community. Last year they provided 4,500 snack packs!
When the pandemic began the committee switched to virtual meetings to check in and offer support. No business was discussed, but “one topic that was raised multiple times during those first meetings was how to hold our annual Snack Pack event to help the children at Second Story,” recalls Benita Stocks, Director of Membership and Programs at NAIOP. They knew it wouldn’t be safe to gather in person, but started brainstorming what to do next. They invited a Second Story representative to share about how things were going in Culmore at the Teen Center and offer suggestions on how to adapt the snack packing event.
“The more we know about the services provided to the children by Second Story the more we are committed to helping,” Benita says. “We needed to come up with a fundraiser that allowed participants to work together virtually. We decided to hold a fitness challenge with the goal of raising $10,000 and achieving 3.5 million steps.” The fitness challenge was a huge success! Participation doubled and the group was proud of how they were able to pivot and be innovative to still effectively support youth. This year they donated over $13,500 – their biggest year yet!
Second Story has distributed more food than ever to vulnerable communities to help them through the pandemic this year, and donations like these are critical to ensuring youth and families can make it through this critical moment.
Miranda Fulk
“Growing up in the area, I had driven by the teens in crisis shelter many times and saw the purple door. I never quite knew what exactly the house was for, but it always intrigued me. After I had my first child, I was trying to grasp this new chapter in my life and reflecting on how hard everything seemed and yet how easy of a situation I was in. I immediately wanted to help teen moms and did a search for local programs for young mothers. Second Story popped up and I connected the dots of Second Story and the house with the purple door. I signed up for an Open Door Information Session and was blown away with the impact that Second Story was having in the community and the very real problems that exist in the county that might seem invisible to most. I signed up for volunteer training and began volunteering Sunday evenings at Second Story for Teens in Crisis and now serve as a community ambassador.
I give to Second Story because being able to help change the trajectory in a young person’s life for the better is a prudent investment. Just like I had many people that invested in me over my life, I feel that it is important to continue the cycle. It feels like an easy choice when I give to Second Story.
Second Story understands that in order to support youth in crisis, they need not only the support of someone to listen, but a plan and tools to help them achieve that plan. Second Story is not interested in the quick fix but rather to empower their clients to play an active role in determining how they want to live their life. We are lucky to have an organization like Second Story that has the expertise, relationships, and heart to connect with youth in our community and to serve as that guidepost for young people during critical times in their life.”
Gina Choe (Christ Central Presbyterian Church)
Members of Christ Central Presbyterian Church (CCPC) were used to coming to Second Story for Teens in Crisis on Saturday mornings to make a hot breakfast for the young people staying with us, both meeting a physical need but also encouraging youth and counselors on a weekly basis.
Then, in March, for the safety of youth, staff, and volunteers, we cancelled these sorts of visits. Gina Choe and her fellow community members knew that youth still needed breakfast on Saturdays, and without donations from the church we would need to fill in the gap and pay for another meal. So, they instead began donating financially to make up the difference.
“COVID or no COVID, CCPC is committed to support Second Story in prayer and financially. We believe it is crucial for youth to have a caring and safe place to turn to especially during these hard times. Children (of all ages) are a precious gift from above and by supporting them financially during these difficult times we are able to love and serve them through Second Story,” Gina explains. And because of donations like these, Second Story has been able to continue to serve youth, stepping up to meet their increased needs, even during the pandemic.
Jeff Amster
“A few years ago, I was looking for ways to get more involved in the community. Not knowing where to start, I reached out to my company’s community relations team and they recommended that I reach out to Second Story because of the organization’s important work in our community. For the next two years, I volunteered every other Friday night at Second Story, helping out staff, hanging out with the teens, and answering phone calls. It was an incredibly inspiring to see how Second Story’s staff and programs help our local teens and their families during some of their most challenging moments.
Having seen Second Story’s work firsthand, it is obvious that the organization plays a critical role in helping local youth and their families. But, it is equally clear that, at moments, the organization is meaningfully constrained. For example, there are wait-lists for some of Second Story’s programs, which is in large part due to constrained funding. Giving to Second Story is what enables Second Story to maintain and hopefully continue to expand the services it offers to our community.
Simply put, in moments when kids in our community have no one else to turn to, Second Story is there. I believe that for kids struggling and in some cases without a stable home environment, Second Story is a game changer. Second Story’s investment in them serves as the catalyst for kids in our community to build the confidence they need to handle the challenges they are facing and ultimately achieve their goals in life.”
Gabe Kahn
“I heard about Second Story from the leader of my team at work, and I became involved as a donor and volunteer.
To me, Second Story’s mission is one of opportunity, of giving people the resources and support they need to help themselves and follow their passions. I grew up with two loving parents who supported me through school and as I started my career. When I met the kids at the Teen Center or listened to the speakers at the breakfast, I saw kids that have the same level (if not a higher level) of intelligence, creativity, and dedication as myself and people I grew up with and yet were at risk of falling behind because of numerous factors outside of their control. Everyone deserves the chance to follow their dreams, to better themselves, and to support the people they love, and I believe Second Story promotes that for kids who might not have it otherwise.
I give to Second Story for two reasons: I strongly believe in what the organization stands for and because I trust the people leading the organization to use my money well to make a difference. I’ve seen the broad scope of Second Story’s impact through both the volunteering I’ve done and the other events I’ve attended and I’m consistently impressed by both the staff’s dedication and the consistent impact the programs have for the kids and young adults they support. I trust Second Story with my money and I know that it’s going directly to people who need it.”