Feathering a special nest: McKee Builders continues fundraising for Home of the Sparrow

At McKee Builders, our business is building homes. That means we’re focused on making lives better, not just for our customers but the communities we serve in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. There’s so much need for everything from volunteer hours to financial help. And it never stops, so let’s keep on giving. Please join us in feathering a special nest as McKee Builders continues fundraising for Home of the Sparrow.

Home of the Sparrow

Women facing homelessness in Chester County, Pennsylvania, have friends at Home of the Sparrow. This organization of deeply committed people supports women at a difficult time in their lives, giving them shelter, education, and resources to get a fresh start. In one year alone, Home of the Sparrow assisted 1,087 women and children facing homelessness. Sadly, that number continues to grow.

“Housing insecurity is the result of many different factors, including intergenerational poverty, lack of affordable housing, trauma, insufficient education, health challenges, discrimination, and unexpected emergencies, such as the loss of a partner or sudden unemployment,” explains Michelle Venema, CEO of Home of the Sparrow, which was founded in 1994.

Members of the McKee Builders team came together to help Home of the Sparrow. They donated money to help renovate and furnish the Catherine Twomey House, a 5-unit shelter for women and their children.

In 2021, our team wholeheartedly agreed to give Home of the Sparrow 100% of the proceeds from our annual Frank A. McKee Charity Golf Classic. This one event raised $106,000 last fall, giving the Pennsylvania non-profit organization much-needed funds to support women who have nowhere else to turn.

Our continued fundraising support also includes the donation of the home accents and decorative accessories for the Annual Spring Gala’s silent auction, another major fundraiser for the organization. The pieces came from our model home at Whispering Woods, a McKee Builders’ 55+ community in Middletown, DE. 

We sold out of homes at Bay Bridge Cove on Kent Island, at the base of Chesapeake Bay. But this “ending” sparked a new beginning for some of Home of the Sparrow’s deserving women. Bay Bridge Cove residents and employees were invited to purchase furnishings from the model homes. They excitedly shopped our showcase home, raising $6,600, which was given to Home of the Sparrow. In addition to the donation, we gave the organization furniture to provide housing assistance as women restarted their lives.

“Chester County is the wealthiest in our Commonwealth and among the top 25 wealthiest in the country. In a community of great abundance, there is also great poverty, and the most vulnerable exist quietly on the fringes in a state of desperation,” said Michelle Venema. She added that the Chester County Department of Community Development reported 517 people as homeless in the region during a single winter night. “The count did not include the 497 individuals who were staying in shelters, and those who were sleeping in cars, and on floors in the homes of relatives and friends.”

While we’re building homes for people, we need to always remember that there are others who have no roof over their heads. They don’t have the comforts we sometimes take for granted. Three generations of the McKee family have guided the mission here at McKee Builders and one thing never changes the commitment to making a difference in lives. Please join us in giving back to the cause or charity that sparks your passion.