CAI Cares

The CAI Cares Committee mission is to build better communities by hosting service oriented charitable events, as well as an annual CAI Cares Day, that bring our members together to make a difference in our communities. 

COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON
     Emily Serebrenick, RooterPLUS!
COMMITTEE CHAIR ELECT
     Vicky Sand, Esq., NowackHoward LLC 
BOARD LIAISON
     Miye Johnson Yi, Esq., Winter Capriola Zenner, LLC
SECRETARY
     Erin Byers, Silverleaf Management Group, LLC
TREASURER
     Wendy Brant, Homeowner Management Services, Inc
     

COMMITTEE MEMBERS
      Kimberly Munier, American Casual Living
      Michelle Coleman, Crabapple LandscapExperts
      Spencer Farmery, Esq., Dorough & Dorough, LLC
      Chris Ruthruff, EcoPlay Structures, Inc
      Helena Andersson, Homeowner Management Services, Inc
      Jonathan Benator, Esq., Lazega & Johanson LLC
      Dan Wright, Esq., Lazega & Johanson LLC
      Keith Cash, Northwest Exterminating
      Matthew Pursell, Outdoor Solutions Group
      Jennie Hollis, Pest USA
      Erica Bolden, RealManage
      Angie Russell, Russell Landscape Group
      Becky Schmutzer, Silverleaf Management Group, LLC 
      

HomeAid Care Day at Covenant House Georgia
Volunteers make major improvements at shelter for homeless and trafficked youth.
Atlanta, Georgia - November 2, 2018 - Members of the Georgia Chapter of Community Associations Institute Chapter (CAI-Georgia) volunteered at a HomeAid Care Day at Covenant House Georgia on October 19. This was HomeAid's second Care Day partnership with CAI-Georgia and the fifth time HomeAid has made improvements to the grounds and facilities at Covenant House Georgia.
CAI-Georgia volunteers completed an amazing amount of work, including a huge amount of landscaping and tree work all over the large Covenant House Georgia campus, and pressure washing sidewalks, walls and entry steps. Volunteers painted two locker rooms and the exteriors of three cottages, organized toiletries and other essential items for residents, as well as cleaned and organized clothes closets and two storage sheds for arrival of donated furniture. Additionally, the Masonry Association of Georgia, in partnership with CAI-Georgia, will install a monument in memory of the youth lost to the streets. Thank you to landscaping companies and Care Day volunteers for prepping the area for the monument.
In addition to support from several CAI-Georgia member companies, major donations were made by Arborguard Tree Specialists, Horizon Painting & Renovations, Blueprint Painting & Renovations, Inc, Beacon Management Services, Russell Landscape Group, Georgia Masonry Supply, Jordan Roberts, Eric Love and many more. A special thank you to Northwest Exterminating Good Deeds Team for providing lunch.
Thanks to the work of volunteers and in-kind donations from the companies mentioned above, HomeAid and CAI-Georgia provided a savings of close to $20,000 for Covenant House Georgia!
Hannah Lawrence, Volunteer Coordinator with Covenant House said, "Thank you so much for all the incredible work you put into the HomeAid- CAI Care Day! Our staff and youth are blown away by the progress you made in such a short amount of time."

Helping Hands Committee Contributes Over $50,000 in Improvements to the MUST Ministries Campus
CAI-Georgia Chapter Committee Undertakes Largest Service Project to Date

The CAI-GA Helping Hands Committee’s mission to build better communities by hosting service oriented charitable events undertook its largest project to date for MUST Ministries in May 2017. In conjunction with HomeAid Atlanta, over 40 sponsors

and 80 volunteers spent hundreds of hours making improvements to the facilities and shelters on the MUST Ministries campus located on Highway 41 in Cobb County.

MUST's Director of Facilities Operations, David Ladnak, said, "The CAI-Georgia - HomeAid Care Days had the largest impact on the campus I've seen in the five years I've been here. The repairs and improvements are valued at approximately $50,000!”

Over the course of the care days, Helping Hands’ volunteers tackled an extensive to-do list including pressure washing; building closets; painting trailers, ramps and railings; replacing rotten wood on office trailers; cleaning and organizing; parking lot - repair, sealing and restriping; rebuilding stairs and a handicap ramp; landscaping with new play safe mulch on children's playground; creating a large, interactive original artwork on freshly installed concrete for children; cleaning the women’s shelter and more!

“We are so pleased by the efforts and contributions from our volunteers,” said Eric Love and Melanie Caceres, co-chairs of Helping Hands. “Everyone came together as a team to make a difference for the families served by MUST.”

For more than 45 years, MUST has established itself as a servant leader caring for those in need in the Marietta, Smyrna and Canton/Cherokee county communities. Founded in 1971 by the Rev. Wayne Williams, MUST Ministries’ initial programs included a grocery bus ministries for the elderly, a youth tutoring program and outreach ministries to "alienated" young people. Today, MUST encompasses more than 10,000 volunteers who are continually helping to provide shelter, food and clothing for homeless families in Georgia.

Howard Cox, MUST Ministries Development Officer remarked, "MUST Ministries has truly been blessed with the outpouring of support from HomeAid, CAI-Georgia, and all the volunteers who turned out to spruce up the MUST Ministries Elizabeth Inn homeless shelter campus. With the growing need for housing and supportive services, the work of MUST remains a critical endeavor. It can be a very tough world for people who have nowhere to go, but your support helps make a difference.”

The Helping Hands Committee is always looking for new members to help us fulfill our mission in building better communities through service and volunteerism. Please contact Eric Love or Melanie Caceres for more information!

Habitat For Humanity House

The CAI Charity Committee now referred to as CAI Cares, has been hard at work with Habitat for Humanity to build the first ever CAI House for the Thang/Men family! In addition to raising the $80,000 necessary for this Build, the Committee arranged for volunteer support from sponsors and CAI Georgia members for Saturday build dates during the months of January, February and March 2016. The CAI House is the 273rd house built by Habitat for Humanity – North Central Georgia but is the first Build so far funded by individual and private contributions from one group, CAI-GA. CAI Georgia should be very proud!
 

Pictured left are the new owners of the Habitat for Humanity house, the Thang/Men family and 2016 Helping Hands Committee Chairpersons; Miye Yi and Kelley Moon, and 2016 CAI-Georgia Board Liaison, Sean Ruthven.