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September 22, 2009
This weeks success story
The HDHM Ministry receives many calls on a daily basis, some of which we cannot attend to for either lack of funds or lack of time.
Yesterdays call came from Lee a widow who is now cancer free at age 88 in need of help to complete some major yard work she started but does not have the energy to complete.
I called upon a family of 6 home schooled kids and the teacher (dad) to utilize some community service and assist the Boss Man with this task.
With 5 of the children from age 7 to 15, along with their dad and our client Lee (with faded HDHM red shirt), we were able to complete the job in 3 hours and off to lunch at the local pizza restaurant.
1. Photo of the family and the client before starting at 9:15AM.
2. During the clean-up process.
3. Receiving help from this 88 year old client lugging trees we cut down.
4. A thumbs up for a job well done.
Please note:
Christina Inzero the 13 year old, last year started an HDHM Kids Club working for seniors with her siblings and all the $$ they earn they send to a 7 year old child in an underdeveloped country to support her education costing $30.00 a month.
Talk about great kids. Does this fit the picture of kids in our neighborhood?
Posted by hdhm at 4:05 PM
September 18, 2009
This weeks success story
It was a week ago when I received word from the teacher of a class of 6 Special Needs Kids in the Life Skills Program at Brookfield High School asking if I could locate a donated dining room table and 6 chairs for his kids since their old table made its way to the dumpster and there was nothing in the school budget to cover the cost a replacement.
Three days later, the Holy Spirit sent someone to us with a beautiful oak dining table complete with 6 chairs and some built in leafs that will allow 10 guest to enjoy.
This week with the help of the teacher Martin Settle and 3 of the strong kids we hauled off in my HDHM Van and the trailer and picked up the items and installed in their kitchen next to the classroom and are they happy campers? Now they can have their Thanksgiving meal and invite all the teachers to attend the annual feast prepared by them, and they are ecstatic to say the least.
I revisited the kids today to record their excitement and wanted to share the moment with you with the question, "Was this a coincident or was it the intervention of the Holy Spirit"?
Remember folks, this is where your financial and spiritual support goes.
Posted by hdhm at 4:13 PM
September 13, 2009
Brookfield man celebrates blessings by organizing volunteers to do "handyman'' jobs
THE NEWS-TIMES
Brookfield man celebrates blessings by organizing
volunteers to do "handyman" jobs
By Nanci G. Hutson
staff writer
Updated: 09/12/2009 10:41:31 PM EDT
BROOKFIELD -- Peter Brady is not a plumber, an
electrician, or a carpenter. He's not crazy about
climbing up on roofs.
Yet over the last decade he has become known
around the area as the "Handy Dandy
Handyman.''
Each year he corrals more than a thousand
skilled and unskilled laborers to donate their
time for "handyman'' chores at the homes of
senior citizens, the handicapped, widows and
widowers, divorced parents or limited-income
families.
For the most part, Brady and his volunteers --
who range in age from 10 to 85 -- rake lawns,
patch roofs, replace broken windows, clean out
basements and build handicap ramps. They paint
home interiors and exteriors, fix drains in
bathrooms and kitchens, even set mouse traps.
In the last two years, the all-volunteer
organization has performed two home
makeovers.
"This is driven by the Holy Spirit,'' said the 68-
year-old retired director of purchasing for Nestle
USA, whose church-backed organization was
born out of his desire to live the Gospel message.
Brady remembers sitting in his pew at St.
Joseph's Roman Catholic Church listening to the
priest, the Rev. Larry Carroll, tell how St. Peter
was called by Christ to serve his local community.
"He (Carroll) was talking to me,'' Brady said of
hearing that message.
The very next day Brady called Carroll and
suggested he start a handyman ministry for
senior citizens in the parish.
He knew some of the needy parishioners
because a year earlier he and his family -- wife,
Carol Ann, and three now-adult daughters Kerri,
Ellen, and Robyn -- volunteered to rake people's
leaves.
His family today has expanded to include 13-
month-old grandson, Timothy Cartwright, son of
his daughter Ellen and son-in-law David.
That started the annual Rake 'n' Bake event, a
fall cleanup where volunteers spend a day raking
the lawns of senior citizens and the seniors bake
treats for the finale luncheon as their "payment.''
Since 1999, that event has grown from two
clients and 10 volunteers to about 70 clients and
over 1,000 volunteers last year.
In 1999, still one year away from retirement,
Brady started slow with the "handyman'' jobs,
fixing a clogged toilet or setting mouse traps for
seniors he met through the raking event.
Upon retirement in February 2000, he embarked
on the handyman ministry full-time. Quickly, the
demand was more than he could do alone.
So he started seeking out helpers.
"Frankly, I'm really not a handyman,'' Brady said.
His real skills are communication and
organization; bringing the people and resources
together to get a job done. He also is someone
who never asks anyone to do more than he is
willing to do.
On any job, Brady can be found swiping a paint
brush, hauling away trash, sweeping out a
garage or fixing what he knows how to repair.
"Oh man! I don't think he's human,'' described
Bob Elston, a founding volunteer from Newtown
who is treasurer of the Handy Dandy Handyman
(HDHM) Board of Directors. "He's just an
incredible motivator.
"It is a real blessing to work with this guy. It's a
great program, and I love being part of it.''
Three years after the HDHM started as a church
ministry, there were about 50 clients and 300
volunteers. Over time, it grew so the church
decided it was time for HDHM to become its own
non-profit organization.
In 2004, it became an official non-profit, serving
a seven-town area that today has more than 300
clients and 1,000 volunteers. The program has
also done two complete home makeovers.
In recent years, Brady, too, has expanded the
organization's reach with an e-mail newsletter
called "Pete's Repeats.'' Through this venue,
Brady matches people in need of furnishing and
appliances with donors who have such things for
donation or sale. He calls the service "e-Bray.''
The annual budget is about $45,000 and
$50,000, with proceeds coming from donations,
grants, fundraising and "Pete's Repeats'' to pay
for building materials.
Brookfield High School junior Seth Abramski just
sent Brady a check for $250 -- half his summer
salary as a Boy Scout counselor -- because he
believes HDHM is a "noble cause.''
In his home office, Brady is surrounded by
photographs of volunteers from the various Rake
'n' Bake events.
He has awards dating back to the start. In 2009,
the Handy Dandy Handyman was awarded the
University of Connecticut Connecticut Champion
Award for Exemplary Community Service.
A few years ago, Gov. M. Jodi Rell presented him
with a "Connecticut Treasures'' Award.
Brookfield mother Donna Robinson Gause cannot
praise Brady and his volunteers enough.
The recipient of the second home makeover,
Gause said Brady's dynamic personality was able
to rally an incredible crew of volunteers who
transformed her home into a place of safe
shelter for her and her two young children.
"He helped give a quality of life I couldn't give to
my children and that they deserve. He's given us
relief, pride, strength and hope. He saved our
family.''
What feeds Brady's spirit most, though, is not
accolades. It is to "live the Word (of God) rather
than just read about it.''
Peter Brady is the founder of Handy Dandy
Handyman, a non-profit organization that assists
senior citizens, handicapped persons, widows,
single parents and limited-income families with
household repairs. For information about the
organization, visit the Web site at www.hdhm.org
or e-mail Brady at peterbrady@hdhm.org
Posted by hdhm at 9:44 PM