The Both Hands Project that we worked on a couple of weekends ago made the paper! The girls were so excited to see their picture in the paper! (We had to gather another copy so they could each have one.)
http://advertisernews.biz/livinglifestyles/community-effort-helps-adoptive-family-widow.html
Community effort helps adoptive family, widow
By Angie Mayes
More than 30 people gathered at Carol Weaver’s home in Spring Hill on Oct. 18 to help renovate parts of her home. Weaver, who has been widowed twice, was the recipient of a project hosted by Both Hands Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization serving widows, orphans and adoptive families.
Founded in 2008, the non-profit’s purpose is to help people raise funds for orphans while serving widows through home improvement projects. Working with Both Hands is an innovative method to help reduce the financial barrier for adoption, while combining a service project to bless a widow in need.
Each project starts with an adoptive family. In this instance, it is Spring Hill residents Dean and Kim LaRocca, who, after being selected, recruited a team of their friends to work on a widow’s home. Most of the time workers do light repair, painting, de-cluttering, cleaning and landscaping.
Carol Weaver’s home
During the work session, team members re-wrapped Weaver’s windows, did light painting and rebuilt her deck and a shed.
“This is an overwhelming experience,” Weaver said. “The outward pouring of love and willingness to help is amazing. This is beyond anything I ever imagined. I knew about some of the things, but others are a surprise like the new deck and shed. I thought I’d get my yard done and maybe some things fixed in the hours, but this is great. I haven’t cried yet, but by the end of the day, I’ll probably be in tears.”
Members of the team send letters to their contacts requesting sponsorship for the day while working on the widow’s home. It’s very similar to raising sponsorship for a 5K race or golf event, but instead of playing, the team members were working. All the money raised from the sponsorships then goes to help offset the high cost of the LaRocca’s adoption.
Weaver and her family are originally from Florida, but relocated to Tennessee soon after the LaRocca’s moved to town in 1997. Weaver and her late husband have been friends of the LaRocca’s for almost 25 years.
“Carol is a very strong woman, she has survived the passing of her first husband in the Beirut bombing and her second husband and father of her children in a motorcycle accident in 2006 here in Nashville,” said Kim LaRocca. “Our team is excited to help Carol with some much-needed window repairs, painting, tree trimming and landscaping.”
Helping the LaRocca family
The LaRocca’s are very excited to travel to Taiyuan City, China, in early 2015 and bring home their newest addition, Dang Yi Ping, 8.
“We’re just over the moon to be able to adopt him,” Kim said. “We plan to go to China at the first of next year. We are waiting on our final approval from the Chinese government, which we expect to have within the next couple of months.”
One-hundred percent of the money raised during the weekend, and subsequent donations, will go toward the adoption. The cost of the adoption can be upwards of $40,000. Kim was hoping to raise $20,000 to help defray costs.
The LaRocca family has also had great loss with the passing of their middle son in 2011 after an 18-month battle with a brain tumor.
“We were there for Carol, and she was here for us when Matthew passed away,” Kim said. “We’ve learned to adjust to the new normal.”
Since 2008, Both Hands projects have raised over $4,507,000 for adoption funding and other orphan care initiatives. Through 412 Both Hands projects in 40 states, 451 widows have been served with home improvements, 465 orphans are closer to forever families, and over 12,250 volunteers have participated in serving others.
For more information, visit www.bringinghomelarocca.com. Donations can also be made online through the Both Hands website at www.bothhands.org/larocca.
More than 30 people gathered at Carol Weaver’s home in Spring Hill on Oct. 18 to help renovate parts of her home. Weaver, who has been widowed twice, was the recipient of a project hosted by Both Hands Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization serving widows, orphans and adoptive families.
Founded in 2008, the non-profit’s purpose is to help people raise funds for orphans while serving widows through home improvement projects. Working with Both Hands is an innovative method to help reduce the financial barrier for adoption, while combining a service project to bless a widow in need.
Each project starts with an adoptive family. In this instance, it is Spring Hill residents Dean and Kim LaRocca, who, after being selected, recruited a team of their friends to work on a widow’s home. Most of the time workers do light repair, painting, de-cluttering, cleaning and landscaping.
Carol Weaver’s home
During the work session, team members re-wrapped Weaver’s windows, did light painting and rebuilt her deck and a shed.
“This is an overwhelming experience,” Weaver said. “The outward pouring of love and willingness to help is amazing. This is beyond anything I ever imagined. I knew about some of the things, but others are a surprise like the new deck and shed. I thought I’d get my yard done and maybe some things fixed in the hours, but this is great. I haven’t cried yet, but by the end of the day, I’ll probably be in tears.”
Members of the team send letters to their contacts requesting sponsorship for the day while working on the widow’s home. It’s very similar to raising sponsorship for a 5K race or golf event, but instead of playing, the team members were working. All the money raised from the sponsorships then goes to help offset the high cost of the LaRocca’s adoption.
Weaver and her family are originally from Florida, but relocated to Tennessee soon after the LaRocca’s moved to town in 1997. Weaver and her late husband have been friends of the LaRocca’s for almost 25 years.
“Carol is a very strong woman, she has survived the passing of her first husband in the Beirut bombing and her second husband and father of her children in a motorcycle accident in 2006 here in Nashville,” said Kim LaRocca. “Our team is excited to help Carol with some much-needed window repairs, painting, tree trimming and landscaping.”
Helping the LaRocca family
The LaRocca’s are very excited to travel to Taiyuan City, China, in early 2015 and bring home their newest addition, Dang Yi Ping, 8.
“We’re just over the moon to be able to adopt him,” Kim said. “We plan to go to China at the first of next year. We are waiting on our final approval from the Chinese government, which we expect to have within the next couple of months.”
One-hundred percent of the money raised during the weekend, and subsequent donations, will go toward the adoption. The cost of the adoption can be upwards of $40,000. Kim was hoping to raise $20,000 to help defray costs.
The LaRocca family has also had great loss with the passing of their middle son in 2011 after an 18-month battle with a brain tumor.
“We were there for Carol, and she was here for us when Matthew passed away,” Kim said. “We’ve learned to adjust to the new normal.”
Since 2008, Both Hands projects have raised over $4,507,000 for adoption funding and other orphan care initiatives. Through 412 Both Hands projects in 40 states, 451 widows have been served with home improvements, 465 orphans are closer to forever families, and over 12,250 volunteers have participated in serving others.
For more information, visit www.bringinghomelarocca.com. Donations can also be made online through the Both Hands website at www.bothhands.org/larocca.
