President Carter’s Legacy Lives On Through Local Connections
President Jimmy Carter touched countless lives through his work with Habitat for Humanity, a legacy that continues to inspire and resonate around the world. That impact recently felt close to home for us at the ReStore in Rockville, Maryland, during an unexpected encounter with one of our donors.
ReStore Rockville staff members Leonard and Joshua had the privilege of meeting Jerry Brown during a donation pickup at a home. The donation was initially arranged by Jerry's brother, who served as the original point of contact. The Brown brothers were donating items from their late mother's home in Hyattsville, Maryland, after her recent passing.
Leonard and Joshua helped the brothers clean out their mother’s home, as Habitat for Humanity ReStores often assist with such donation pickups during bittersweet times. We understand how difficult it can be for families to part with cherished belongings, and we strive to offer support and compassion during these moments.
Reflecting on that day, Joshua shared, “We usually handle donation pickups like this about twice a month. However, Jerry shared some extraordinary and deeply sentimental news as we loaded up the final piece of furniture.”
Jerry Brown revealed that he had been involved in the early efforts supporting President Jimmy Carter’s work with Habitat for Humanity during the 1980s.
In addition to his connection with Habitat, Jerry is a retired executive producer and director for Voice of America (VOA) TV. He created VOA’s popular music series, Music Alley, which highlights various genres of music.
Later that day, after Leonard and Joshua returned to the ReStore, they received a heartfelt message from Jerry:
Good brothers, it was good to meet you. Thank you for all your help. It was a difficult day saying goodbye to my mother's belongings, but I found comfort knowing they will brighten someone else’s life. I was there to help launch President Carter’s Habitat initiative, and years later, we’re trusting you to get her items to people who need them.
Happy New Year!
Jerry
President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter have inspired millions of volunteers to dedicate their time, energy, and resources to help families secure decent housing. Over the years, the Carters have personally worked alongside more than 104,000 volunteers in 14 countries, helping to build, renovate, or repair 4,390 homes. Their remarkable dedication has cemented Habitat for Humanity’s global mission to provide affordable housing for all.
We are deeply grateful to Jerry Brown for sharing his story and his connection to President Carter’s incredible legacy. Habitat for Humanity is honored to have champions like Jerry, whose stories remind us of the profound impact of service and compassion.
Thank you, Jerry and your brother, for trusting us with your mother’s belongings. Her contributions will help support the building and preservation of our local communities, ensuring her legacy lives on through the work of Habitat for Humanity.
Marriott International Donations
Since late May, Marriott International has been donating surplus furniture, office supplies and other household items to Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland’s Rockville and Silver Spring ReStores. This reflects Marriott International’s long-standing commitment and loyalty to the development of the state of Maryland and more specifically Montgomery Country.
This same commitment was demonstrated through their decision to keep Marriott’s headquarters in the county, made during their 90th anniversary year as a company. In June 2018, the company had a celebratory groundbreaking, a milestone event marking the occasion of the start of construction on Marriott’s new home. Fast forward to present date, the official move to the new headquarters in downtown Bethesda is just around the corner. Marriott’s new headquarters will be operational and occupied by summer of 2022.
In preparation for this herculean task while also transitioning to a more hybrid-friendly work environment, Marriott has been steadily decommissioning the Fernwood headquarters they’ve occupied since 1979. As they make this transition, they have worked to ensure they are also being responsible in how they are decommissioning items while staying true to their core value Serve Our World and maintaining their commitment to their sustainability and social impact platform, Serve 360: Doing Good In Every Direction.
Through this process – and the resulting 17 total pickups to date – Marriott has gifted more than 2,700 items to the ReStore locations. Many of these items include things like chairs, tables, cabinets, ottomans, sofas, dressers and much, much more. We are delighted with the amount and quality of donations as they help to generate more revenue for our mission of affordable housing. While much of this work has taken place through the months of May, June, July, and August, there is still more to be accomplished. Be sure to join our mailing list and stay on the lookout for great deals in the months ahead!!
Historically Marriott International has supported home builds in both Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland during their annual day of volunteering, Spirit to Serve Our Communities Day, the Affordable Housing Morning Mixer, and other key events that help provide funding for affordable housing to lower income families. While this year has been different, we’re looking forward to this deepening partnership with our friends at Marriott International and all that’s in store (pun intended) for Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland in 2022.
Grand Piano
Donna and Clyde Messerly had a dilemma. After many years of living and working in the DC area, they were moving into a retirement home at the beach.
The problem was what to do with their cherished Weber baby grand piano? It couldn’t fit into the new home because of the space limitations (the couple was downsizing). The piano was in pristine condition without so much as a scratch. Efforts to sell the piano were unsuccessful. The couple was heartbroken at the thought of the piano going to the dump.
Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland, who was taking most of the other items being downsized, had no expertise in moving pianos. This particular piano needed the legs removed to get it out of the door and needed the legs re-installed when it reached its destination.
Enter the heroes at Town & Country Movers. Chris Plummer, Moving Consultant, arranged for Senior Mover Victor and moving associates Victor and Wilmen to transport the piano and re-install it at Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Rockville. The Messerlys also contributed funds for the move.
The Messerlys’ cherished piano would not be thrown away, and proceeds from the sale will help to build affordable housing in the DC Metro area. The piano sold within an hour!
Thanks to the Messerly family and Town and Country Movers for going above and beyond to get this piano a new home. Now that’s what we call customer service!
