A Record-Breaking Service Project
Contributed By: Henderson House Development Director Rachel Flores
Henderson House had a problem — clients that needed many essentials to re-establish their lives, donors that wanted to provide those items, and no available storage. So Washington Roofing Company, First Federal Savings & Loan, and the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership MAC class did something about it.
In April 2023, the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce invited Henderson House to present to the Leadership MAC class about our services and to propose a project that participants could take on in support of our work. Development Director Rachel Flores shared with attendees how Henderson House faced a dilemma: the Advocacy Center basement (our only available storage area) had mold issues, asbestos detected, and frequent water leaks. When Henderson House clients re-establish their lives after leaving their abusers, they are gifted with many essentials like towels, dishes, and cleaning products (view the list of needed items here). These items are collected from donors throughout the year and are temporarily stored before being distributed to clients. With the basement no longer a safe spot to store donations, Henderson House staff brainstormed alternatives and concluded that a storage shed would be a great solution.
Upon hearing this request, Scott Daniels, the President of Washington Roofing Company, immediately took action. Within one week Scott organized a group of participants to come to the Advocacy Center to assess the capacity needs, placement, and dimensions for a new shed. He committed a crew of four Washington Roofing Company employees for three days, and provided all of the necessary materials, to build a 16-foot by 10-foot, weatherproof and insulated storage shed, equipped with a ramp and double doors for ease of access, as well as a window and skylights to provide natural light during the day. All of this was completed in less than two weeks after the proposal was presented — a Leadership MAC service project record.
Additionally, First Federal Savings & Loan Vice President Ben Phillips and Loan Officer Cierra Crawford facilitated the purchase and donation of heavy duty shelving to outfit the new shed. YOOP donated the paint and supplies for the interior and exterior of the shed to be painted, and a crew of Leadership MAC participants completed all of the painting and shelving assembly.
When asked why he chose to take on this project, Scott Daniels shared “In my industry, we make hay when the sun shines. Contrary to that, you have to find things to do when there isn’t nice weather. I took advantage of days that wouldn’t be productive for my team (due to rain), and offered something back. I knew that we would only have a couple days of rain before the weather changed again, so we expedited the project.”
In all, the project included over $8,000 of donations – an immense and meaningful gift to survivors in our community. The Leadership MAC participants were remarkable in their agility to respond to our need, in all of the expertise and labor provided, and in their kindness and responsiveness to staff input throughout the process. We are SO grateful for this resource and the generosity of this crew! A BIG thank you, especially to Washington Roofing Company and First Federal Savings & Loan — we are better able to serve our clients because of you. Thank you!
