The 2016 Big Give BACK

Over 24 companies sponsored the first annual Big Give BACK to work with Rebuilding Together of the Triangle and to help with home repairs for a local family. The event was led by the Triangles Sales and Marketing Council (TSMC), and included almost 100 volunteers for the two day project on Nov. 15-16, 2016.

Over the last several years, the Triangle Sales and Marketing Council (TSMC) has participated in a variety of community service projects including Operation Coming Home, the Salvation Army Women’s Shelter, CANstruction, and April’s Angels. In the past, each November they have held the Big Give which was originally added to the breakfast program as a way to help those in our industry through rough times. However, the economy has improved for the industry. So for this November and moving forward, they combined efforts to create the Big Give BACK.

“Each year for the Big Give Back, the TSMC will have the option to support a different charity and for this year, we chose to work with Rebuilding Together of the Triangle.” said Jay Upchurch, the 2016 TSMC Community Service Chair and president of Upchurch Land & Home, LLC. “The family we chose to help was so excited about being selected for assistance, and were grateful for the support of both Rebuilding Together of the Triangle and our members ‘to make our house look better than this and feel like home again.’”

Rebuilding Together of the Triangle (RTT) is a local nonprofit organization the helps ensure that low-income homeowners throughout the Triangle have a safe, healthy place to live. Since 2009, they have assisted more than 300 families with home repairs, accessibility modifications, and home performance upgrades.

The TSMC collected sponsorships from over 24 member companies, including the HBA C.A.R.E. Council and raised over $9,000, which was more than needed for the event.

The project was held over Nov. 15-16 to help the home of Ms. Crowder and her family. She bought her modular home right on the Raleigh/Garner town line in 2008. Ms. Crowder is the family caregiver; in addition to caring for her daughter and other children, she has recently been caring for her grandmother, who is in hospice care. These additional demands on her time have made finding stable employment difficult, but Ms. Crowder has never given up. In addition to the emotional strain she is under, she is also dealing with some critical safety and maintenance needs.

The home has had multiple break-in attempts, leaving windows broken and leaking. The family has also been living with a leaking roof that has damaged the ceilings and floors, and a plumbing leak in the bathroom that has really damaged the floor. The family has worked hard to try to piece together the repairs, by blocking up windows and laying sections of different types of flooring themselves whenever they can get supplies.

For the project, volunteers rebuilt three outside staircases, repaired a water damaged bathroom and replaced rotted and damaged flooring throughout most of the home.

“Once we began working on their home, we realized the roof was in need of replacement not just repair,” said Upchurch. “Any work we did inside the home to fix water damage would be wasted if the roof continued to leak. So we were able to apply the extra money from sponsorships toward a future roof repair.”

Almost 100 volunteers from the sponsor companies worked in four shirts over two days to complete the work. The volunteers represented all type of skill levels from novice to builders.

The TSMC plans to continue future community service efforts through an annual Big Give BACK.

The complete list of sponsor companies includes:

CalAtlantic Homes
C.A.R.E. Council
Corporate Investors Mortgage Group
Homes By Dickerson
KB Home
Level Homes
Movement Mortgage
New Homes & Ideas
Newland Communities
OnQ Financial
Shenandoah Homes
Terramor Homes
The Jim Allen Group
Wells Fargo Home Loans

Coldwell Banker HPW Builder Services
Drees Homes
Eastwood Homes
Fonville Morisey Barefoot
J. Fuller Homes
L and L of Raleigh
PHWS
Saussy Burbank Homes
Upchurch Land & Home


A photo recap from the project can be found on the SMC Triangle Facebook page.